Love at the Drive-thru
by WizardsWoman
Summary: Biscuits n More recently opened. Les visits daily for the food and maybe the woman he see at the drive-thru window.
1. Chapter 1

It has been a long time since I have published a story. This one has been around since 2016. I had written on it, had someone want me to change a lot on it, got frustrated with it, thrown it to the side and almost deleted it all together. Then my husband and a couple other friends read it the way it was and the way I had changed it. "Go back to what makes you happy," came from all three. This story is completed and will be released a couple chapters a week or as my beta finishes each chapter. Thank you for reading. The recognizable characters are not mine. Staci and the crew at Biscuits n More are from my head. Thank you Larry (my Lester), and Rainbow.

Lester and Staci's Story

Prologue

The window at the drive-thru was always slamming every morning, but for the last three weeks her mornings got a little brighter around eight oh five. That was the time the sexiest man she believed she had ever laid eyes on rolled through. Her name was Staci Martin and she worked the drive-thru window of Biscuits and More seven days a week. She learned the man's name was Lester Santos, he flirted with her a few moments every day and yes, she flirted back. He usually asked her one question every day that surprised her. One question had been: Are you ever going to take a day off? Her reply, "Can't, too many bills."

Chapter 1

Bright and early Monday morning Lester was going to met Stephanie. For some strange reason she had asked him to take her to the mall to help her pick out something for Ranger for Christmas. He was not sure what possessed him to agree, but he had. Over the last few weeks for his morning meal he had been stopping at a new little biscuit shop that had opened recently in Trenton. They were open for breakfast and lunch. Recently, he had made friends with Staci who usually worked the drive thru window and was debating about asking her out. He thought she was cute in a girl next door way, he loved her smile and could talk to her all day if possible. Life had been changing for him and he was getting tired of the love 'em 'n leave 'em life style he had been leading. He wanted something more and this woman ... well she intrigued him. Lester was longing for a relationship.

At the menu board was a speaker where you placed your order, above it was a camera so the person working the window could see the person and vehicle placing the order. Staci had grown to recognize Lester's voice and the SUV he drove.

Instead of the usual greeting over the speaker she said, "Good morning Les, your usual?"

"Yes Sweet Pea and I also need a Sarah Jo plus an extra coffee." A Sarah Jo was a biscuit with bacon, egg and cheese.

He pulled around to the window to where Staci was waiting, "Sweet Pea, you look beautiful as usual."

She rolled her eyes, "I bet you tell every woman that."

"Only the ones I want to go out with." She smiled back at him over that statement. But she ate up the few moments of attention, she could listen to that husky voice all day long and he wouldn't even have to make complete sentences to get her to listen.

"Your question of the day Pea, Who is your favorite music group?"

"Pink Floyd," she replied without hesitation.

He paid for his and Beautiful's breakfast, she in turn handed him his order. As much as she would love to go out with him, it was not possible. He was gorgeous, drove nice vehicles and looked like he constantly worked out. There were a lot of physical things she loved about him, he had a gorgeous smile with killer dimples, glistening green eyes and his black hair begged for fingers to be ran through it not to mention his biceps. It wouldn't bother her to see his chest, that was her favorite part of a man or at least for the moment. She knew if he had a clue where she lived and what her life was really like, he would have nothing to do with her. For her, the rest of the day was a mixed bag of emotions because of her situation.

When her shift was over at Biscuits and More she went home. Home was why things would never work out for her and Lester. She lived in an older single wide mobile home that needed tons of work, but it was hers. There she was warm and dry and not living on the streets but not something you would want from the outside. Inside was a different story, everything was neat and clean, everything had its place. She wasn't OCD but living in a smaller place made it necessary.

In order to keep the few possessions she had she worked seven days a week from four-thirty in the morning until two-thirty in the afternoon. Her car was a nineteen ninety-three Dodge Shadow, it took most of her extra money to keep it going not that she really had that much extra money but she was trying to save for another car.

Most of her evenings were spent alone, she didn't date nor did she have a steady love interest. In her almost thirty years on this earth she had only dated three men. When she would refuse to have sex they would leave her, she had made a pledge to herself that she would wait until her wedding night to lose her virginity so she quit dating for all intent and purposes. Her only companion was her dog Daisy a tri-colored mixed breed that had been dropped in the trailer park as a puppy. Daisy gladly stayed with her and slept with her at night snuggled in her blanket.

The next morning came way to early, but she walked Daisy and left for work. She was getting tired of working everyday and hoped for some kind of break. Lester rolled through the drive thru at his usual eight oh five, she could set her watch by him. He flirted with her when he pulled up to the window and made her feel special for a couple moments while he was there. She wanted to give him her phone number but held off because of the thoughts of her home.

The next couple days went on much like they had been, him arriving at eight oh five and asking his usual question of the day. On Thursday morning, Lester rolled through again except he was late. Staci took his order and another order for someone else in the SUV with him. She had planned on sucking it up and giving him her number, she thought she could always meet him here at the restaurant and leave from there. When he pulled to the window Lester had a woman in the SUV with him. She had both of her hands wrapped around his. Staci saw him pull his hand from the woman, she asked him if he needed his receipt. He told her no, she wadded up the piece of paper with her number written on the back and threw it away. Staci sensed that Lester wanted to say something but didn't, finally Lester smiled at her then told her to have a great day before driving off.

As they pulled away the woman asked, "Is she the woman you want to ask out?"

"Yes, she is."

"Why didn't you? She wants you too, there is a look in her eyes that says she likes you too. She is cute too. Les, it is all over your face that you like her," the woman replied.

Staci took a break after he left to go to the restroom; while she was there she had a small cry to relieve her broken heart. She thought to herself _'_ I should have known he would have a girlfriend and she would be gorgeous.' Another thought that went through her mind, 'why couldn't I find a sexy, nice man like him.' After getting herself composed, she returned to the drive thru. The rest of her day was long and slow going it seemed to take forever for two-thirty to arrive.

She made her way home to a very happy Daisy. Before doing anything else she took the little dog on a walk and hopefully clear her mind more, there was something about the love of an animal to make you feel better and for her, Daisy helped.

The next few days that followed she avoided the drive thru when she knew it was about time for Les, she couldn't face him once she found out he had a girlfriend. 'Why wouldn't he' she thought, _'_ he's hot.' He finally asked one day where she was. The guy working the window said she was hurt by one of the customers who comes through here daily and thought it best not to wait on him.

Lester knew it was him. He had flirted with her but never went on to ask her out. He asked what time the restaurant closed, the guy told him. Les made the decision to be here when Staci left work that day, he needed to clear the air and make things right.

At two o'clock on the dot he was waiting on her to come out of the building. When she emerged he got out of the black SUV and slowly began walking towards her. Staci was only about five foot four and probably weighed a hundred and forty pounds. Her blonde hair was pulled up as usual and she looked tired; not just tired but exhausted in his opinion.

She saw him walking towards her, "Hi Lester, I'm sorry but we are closed for the day."

"It is okay, I'm here to see you. I think you maybe avoiding me."

"Yeah, I have been."

"Why?"

"You don't need to flirt with me. Your girlfriend is beautiful why would you flirt with me when you have her?"

"The woman with me the other day wasn't my girlfriend, she is my partner and married to my cousin."

She looked at him for a moment before asking, "Then why were you holding hands with her?"

He smiled, he understood exactly what happened, "She was trying to encourage me to ask you out. I needed moral support to ask you."

"So you don't have a girlfriend? Why not?"

Still smiling at her, he asked her to come sit in the SUV with him, "No, I don't have a steady girlfriend, most women are intimidated by my size and the ones who aren't are just looking for a good time. For some reason you are not intimidated by me. So why aren't you?"

"Never thought about it. I see you as a person, you usually make me laugh and smile at me. I certainly don't find you intimidating. It might help that I always see you sitting down so I have never really seen your size until now."

"Staci, would you like to go out with me this evening?"

"Sure, I just have to be home early, I have to be at work by four-thirty in the morning."

"What time should I pick you up and I need your address?"

"How about five o'clock and I will meet you back here?"

"I don't mind coming to your house to pick you up. It is what a gentleman does on a proper date."

"I would prefer to meet you here."

They argued back and forth about where to meet until he finally agreed to her terms and would meet her back here at the restaurant. She told him she needed to get home because of Daisy. He came around to her side of the SUV to open the door for her then proceeded to walk her to her car. She was embarrassed for him to see the rolling wreck but it was all she could afford for the time being.

He returned to Rangeman to get ready for his date with Staci. When he went to his office he ran into Steph. "I did it. I asked her out."

"When are you going?"

"This evening, I'm picking her up at seventeen hundred."

"What was her name again?"

"Staci Martin."

Stephanie thought it might be wise to run a background check on Staci just to make sure she was right for Lester.

She dressed in the nicest clothes she had which was still jeans and a nice blouse. There were no dresses in her closet, luckily for her she wasn't into them anyway. She pulled into the restaurant lot at four fifty-five, Les was waiting on her. By the time she had parked her car, he was at her door opening it for her. "You look wonderful."

She smiled and thanked him before telling him he looked great. That was until her eyes fell to the firearm on his side. They decided on going to Smokey Joe's. It was a rib joint that several of the guys at Rangeman liked going to on a semi regular basis.

They talked about themselves where she learned he worked for Rangeman. Les told her more about Stephanie. She was married to Ranger, they had been together for three years, he went as far as to divulge a few of her nicknames. Rangeman was an elite security company offering many different type of security ranging from home and business to bodyguard service. It eased her mind somewhat about Les wearing a gun on his side.

He asked her about her history. She was reluctant to talk about it since she did not have a good childhood. Finally she told him about some of her most recent history of jobs and such. She really didn't think she had appeased him with her answers but the rest was too painful to talk about.

Staci had a rough childhood growing up. She had been in and out of foster care since she was thirteen, after her father killed her mom and younger brother, then himself. The social worker once told her she got lucky because she was staying with a friend the night he came home drunk and shot the rest of her family. Staci didn't feel lucky, she had lost her family after all. After that incident the extended family turned their back on her, none of them offered to take her in. It wasn't that she was a bad kid, but none of her dad's side of the family approved of her mom and her mom's side was scattered across, the country to the point of non-existent and couldn't be located. So she ended up being bounced around in the foster care system until she was eighteen.

After that birthday she couldn't stay with the last foster family any longer per the foster care program rules. Staci graduated high school then found an efficiency apartment to live in; the state helped pay for that until she got on her feet. She got two part-time jobs at some shops in the mall and had worked her schedule so she could take the bus to work and home. Once she had managed to save a few dollars, she bought the single wide trailer in the trailer park. She still had to pay lot rent but at least it was hers and nobody could take that from her.

Her next step had been to purchase a car. She drove an eighty-five model Ford Escort until it died, fortunately it got her through until she had saved for a nicer car. Staci bought herself a ninety-three Dodge Shadow, it had several years on it but was low mileage and still in pretty good condition body wise. It had allowed her to get a different job one she had hoped would be a better one.

She left the jobs at the mall after many years and went to work at The Dive, a strip club; as a waitress. Staci ended up hating that job, while yeah she did make a little bit more than she had at the mall jobs combined, she hated getting groped by men when she would take their drink orders and when she would deliver them to the tables. Because she didn't show a lot of skin, her tips suffered but she was never really happy with her body. She suffered with that job until she saw an ad for Biscuits n More. At least she wouldn't get pawed while working this job.

She applied and was hired on the spot. Her smile and wit was a big hit with Darrin McDaniels the owner, manager and now her boss. She didn't handle quitting The Dive like she could or should have, she walked in handed them her apron and order pad then left without notice. The next day she was scheduled to help with setup of supplies for the new restaurant. It had been a long day but she felt good about the new job and new opportunities that lie ahead. A few days later, the restaurant opened.

She volunteered to work the drive-thru window, liking the speed and pace of it. For her it made the day fly by. She made just a little over minimum wage, but was okay for now, because she knew Darrin was going to be needing an assistant manager before long and hopefully she would get that position. It would mean a nice pay raise for her but more headache, she could deal with the headache.

Lester was curious about her home and without thinking blurted out, "Are you ashamed of where you live? Is that why you didn't want me to come to your house to pick you up?"

She blushed and admitted that was the truth. "This was a bad idea, maybe you should take me back to my car."

It broke his heart that she was embarrassed by her situation and saw herself as a failure, but he paid the bill and led her back to his SUV. The ride back to her car was silent. He wasn't sure what to say, which was a first for him. When they arrived back at the lot, he came around her door to open it for her.

Once she was out of the SUV, he pulled her to him, "Staci you are an amazing woman, you have worked hard from what I've learned this evening. I'm personally impressed with you. Would you go out with me again? Our company is having their office Christmas party next weekend, come with me?"

"Les as much as I would love to go, I don't have the clothes for such an event and I cannot afford to buy them either."

"My treat. Get the clothes, shoes, handbag and have your hair done. I will pay for it."

"Let me think on it."

He smiled and nodded his head before climbing back in the SUV. Before pulling out he waited to make sure her car started. She tried to start the car, it sputtered and quit. On the next attempt, it backfired up through the intake and caught on fire. In the dark it was easy to see the glow under the hood. Les jumped out of the SUV and ran to her car. He helped get her out, along with her purse and phone. Staci called 911 to report the fire. The car was quickly engulfed in flames and black smoke. Lester did however get the SUV out of danger before his phone started ringing.

Ranger wanted to know what was going on and why his SUV was at a reported car fire. Lester explained the situation to him, he knew Ranger would show up with Steph since for a change of pace it wasn't her car going up in flames.

Staci stood there in shock watching her car burn to the ground. She wondered how she would pay for another one, since that one only had liability on it and how she was going to get to work.

A short time later, Ranger and Stephanie showed up at the scene. The firetrucks had gotten there quickly but there wasn't anything left of the car. Steph remembered Staci from the restaurant, so she walked over to her to see if she was okay.

She told Steph that she would be alright and introduced herself to Steph. Staci instantly liked Steph and felt comforted by her. Now if she could feel comforted about the new situation she found herself in.

She placed a call to her boss to tell him what had happened and that the building was okay. Her boss offered to come get her in the morning so she could make it to work, at least that was taken care of for tomorrow, who knew after that.

Lester offered to take her home. Although she didn't want him to see where she lived, she finally agreed. He held her hand as he drove. She told him where to turn to get to the trailer park. When he pulled in her driveway she pulled her hand out of his.

"Thank you for dinner."

"Sweet Pea, I enjoyed spending time with you, will you go out with me again?"

"I will think about it. Dinner was good."

"Please think about going to the Christmas party with me."

He walked her to the door, after the door was opened she invited him in. He looked around once in the door, " Sweet Pea this is beautiful."

She smiled and thanked him. "When I was growing up my Abuela Rose lived in a poor part of Miami. During the summer, I spent a lot of time with her growing up. My parents asked her watch me while they both worked. Ranger spent a lot of time there along with me. The outside wasn't much but the inside was beautiful because of all the love in that house. Don't be ashamed of it. It doesn't matter to me what it looks like, its you I am here for."

She blushed and smiled again, "Thank you. You are too kind. Lester, yes I will go out with you again but after this evening, I'm sorry I cannot afford to go to the Christmas party."

"Take me up on my offer, I will buy the clothes for you. Would you like Stephanie to go with you? She has excellent taste."

"Let me think on it please."

He gave her a kiss that was soft and gentle, it conveyed no pressure but let her know he had enjoyed himself. "I will talk to you soon. Good night Sweet Pea."

"Good night Lester."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to everybody who took time to read and review this story. As promised here is the next chapter. The standard disclaimers apply, not mine except the ones from my brain.

Lester and Staci's Story

Chapter 2

The next morning her boss, Darrin McDaniels picked her up to take her to work, he hadn't seen the damage to the parking lot but knew the building was okay. They rode to work in silence part of the way, finally he asked her what she was going to do for transportation. She told him she had some money saved but not nearly enough to buy a decent used car that wouldn't be a problem all the time otherwise she had no clue.

He told her about a friend of his that had a car for sale and the car was in good shape just a lot of miles. Darrin suggested after work he could take her to look at it. Eventually, he asked her why she was at the restaurant after closing. She told him about her date and how she met Lester. Darrin was old enough to be her dad and had taken Staci under his wing. He was happy for her but told her to be careful, he had heard a lot of horrible stories about the men from Rangeman being thugs. She told him that wasn't true or at least with Les it was not true and went on to tell him how Les had treated her the night before. Deep down Darrin hoped she was right and wouldn't get her heart broken.

At promptly eight oh five, Lester pulled up to the drive-thru, "Good morning Les, your regular?"

"Yes Sweet Pea."

He came around to the window to pay and asked her how she was doing and how was she getting home. Since there was a line of other customers behind him Staci told him quickly about Darrin's friend and the car. Lester offered to go as well. He really wanted to spend time with her and try to be helpful. Staci told him what time she should be done today and he could go with them to see the car.

Her day moved fast and quitting time was rapidly approaching, Staci looked out into the dining room and saw Lester. She walked out to where he was sitting and spoke to him before starting to clean the tables for the end of the day cleaning.

When everybody was done with clean up Staci and the rest of the staff exited out the employee door. Staci told Darrin she would ride with Lester and they would follow him to see the car.

Darrin pulled up in front of his friend's house with Les and Staci following. Somebody else was looking at the car for his kid. Lester noticed money exchanging hands, the car was sold before Staci got a chance to even look at it. They got out of the car to follow Darrin.

His friend Al spoke up, "Sorry Bro, I already sold the car."

"I saw. Hopefully you got good money out of it. Staci's burnt last night."

"Oh man, I am sorry, I thought you were just wanting another to toy around with."

Staci and Lester left Al and Darrin to their conversation. They still needed to work on finding Staci something to drive to work. She asked him to stop somewhere so she could get a newspaper and check the classified ads, while she was at it she could look for another job as well. With her financial situation being what it was the second job looked more like a necessity, if nothing else she could possibly work the extra job through the holidays.

"I can see gears grinding. What are you thinking?"

"With this car purchase I am going to have to get another job at least through Christmas. Even if it is only a few hundred dollars it will help."

"How much do you have to put down on a car?"

"Twenty five hundred is it. Then I need to keep the payment less than a hundred and fifty a month."

"How about I help you pay for a car?"

"Absolutely not. I don't know you that well to be indebted to you and you don't know me."

"I want to and I am not worried about the money, I can afford it."

"Well I am worried about the money. Like I said, I don't want to be indebted to you."

"Let's see what we can find online." He wasn't giving up on helping her pay for a car.

Meanwhile back at Rangeman, Stephanie had forgotten about the background report she had pulled on Staci the night before. She knew what had happened to Staci's car since she had been there. Ranger wanted her to see that other people had bad car karma not just her. What she found on the report shocked her and surprised her.

As Steph continued reading, she absently rubbed her neck and mumbled to herself. "Babe, why are you mumbling?"

She shook her head in disbelief and handed him Staci's background check, "Read her background report. She has had a terrible life."

Ranger read the report and shook his head, "I think she deserves a break but why did you run a background check on her?"

"I thought if Lester was going to go out with her it might be nice to know a little more about her. Besides you know me, I'm nosy, she isn't the first I have ran a report on."

Lester was thinking Staci might be good as a receptionist at Rangeman. Ranger had been thinking about hiring someone to work nothing but the phones. He made the decision to talk to Ranger about it when he got to the office.

On the way back to her house Lester stopped at Pino's to buy a pizza, he was off for the rest of the day and maybe they could find her a car and get it bought before the evening was over.

After they ate, they quietly sat on the couch looking at cars. She found a couple she liked that she could afford but Lester didn't care for them. He wanted her in something safer as he put it. A bigger SUV was what he wanted her in but there was no way her budget could afford the payments, the fuel and insurance for it.

Deciding he couldn't wait, Lester stepped outside to make a phone call. "Yo."

"Have you given any more thought to hiring a receptionist?"

"Yes, why?"

"What are the requirements for the position?"

"The usual except the person will not have to carry a gun or go out in the field."

"Remember last night the woman with the burnt car, Staci. She needs a better paying job so she can afford to replace the car."

"Have her come in and fill out an application."

Lester then heard the customary click where Ranger hung up the phone. He went back in the trailer and sat back down beside Staci.

"Sweet Pea, I may have a solution to your problem."

"Lester, I cannot take money from you. Please stop suggesting it."

"No Sweet Pea, how about a different job, one with benefits and good pay?"

"Yeah Les, those drop out of the sky everyday," she said with a sarcastic and snippy edge to her voice.

"No, I am serious, Rangeman is looking for a receptionist, you don't have to carry a gun nor are you out in the field. It would be a desk job."

"Okay, tell me more."

"It would be mostly Monday through Friday, oh eight hundred to seventeen hundred, an hour for lunch, full medical benefits effective upon hire including vision and dental, 401k with employer match. Plus I would try to get you use of a company car until you save up enough for your own. You would have access to a gym and would be required to work out a minimum of four days per week. I don't know what it pays per hour, but I am sure it is a whole lot better than what you are getting now and what you would get if you worked a second job."

"I'll go over there tomorrow. Can you pick me up from work?"

"Absolutely," he said before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

He wanted to take it slow with her and truly get to know her. She was going to be special in his life, he knew it. There was an innocence about her like what Steph had when he first met her. Steph had turned out to be a light in Rangeman's world or Ranger's to be precise. Now, Lester would like to have his own light.

She had no clue how she was going to get to work in the morning, she hadn't asked Darrin to come get her and she didn't want to put Lester out with the time she had to be at work. Still looking online, she found a small SUV that might make Les happy. He read about the SUV before deciding if he felt it would be okay.

"Lets go look at it," he finally spoke.

It was in her price range and was a Dodge Durango something she liked. She told him she needed to take Daisy for a quick walk since she was at the door doing the doggie version of the potty dance. While she was gone, Lester checked his billfold, two grand was in it. Between what she had to put down and what he had on him, the SUV could be paid for in full when they left. He knew she would have the job at Rangeman, Ranger wore a blank face usually but his voice was Ranger's tell, it told him what he needed to know, he would hire her.

When Staci got back with Daisy, Lester asked her if she was ready to go. 'Lucky Eddie's Used Car Emporium' was on the other side of Trenton which made Lester leery about the place, it wasn't in the best business district of town. The longer he thought about where it was, kept him from holding out a lot of hope on the SUV being much. Luckily for him, he had his guns on him so he could protect them if the need was to arise.

They spotted the SUV before pulling on the lot. Just as Lester feared, it wasn't much and they wanted too much money for it. The price was to be expected since 'Lucky Eddie's' was a buy here pay here lot and most of the cars compared to Steph's Nova she had at one time. These places fed on people like Staci who didn't have a lot of money and didn't _make_ a lot of money either. He looked the SUV over and gave her his opinion of it.

"Lets walk away, we will get you back and forth to work the next few days until you can get on with Rangeman then you won't have any financial troubles again."

"Les, I cannot rely on you or Darrin to get me back and forth to work, it isn't fair to either one of you."

"Sweet Pea, I cannot let you buy that SUV in good conscience. It is not worth what they are asking and just by looking it over, I can see it has some problems. Some of those problems are going to be major problems in a short amount of time like the oil leak at the valve covers. Lets keep looking. As far as going back and forth to work, I am up usually at oh four hundred."

She finally agreed to keep looking. There were a few other dealerships they stopped at as they made their way towards Rangeman. Lester knew the sooner she filled out the application the sooner Steph could start the background check on her. She would need to interview with the core team and Steph before being hired. He wouldn't be allowed to interview her since he had referred her and was trying to start a relationship with her.

Lester stopped his car on the street at Rangeman and came around to her door to open it for her. She asked if this was the Rangeman building and he told her it was. He escorted her in the front door and retrieved an application for her as they went to the conference room on the second floor. While she was working on the application he sent a quick text to Ranger and Steph that Staci was here and where to find her. A few minutes later they walked into the room.

"I don't think I properly introduced you last night. Staci Martin, this is Ranger and Stephanie Mañoso. Ranger, Steph this is Staci."

Ranger had his usual blank face on, but Steph glowed as Lester noticed. He was impressed that they would've left the penthouse since they were in the midst of being intimate or had just finished.

"Lester said you are interested in the receptionist job," Ranger mentioned while keeping the blank face.

"Yes, I am. As you may remember my car burnt to the ground the last night and a better job would mean a better car and better life for me."

"It would be nice not to be basically the only woman working in the office," Steph chimed in. "Ella is great don't get me wrong but, I don't get to see her often."

"So you have not found another car yet?" Ranger quizzed.

"No, not yet. I have looked at a couple, one was sold before I got there and the other was on a buy here pay here lot. Lester said it had some problems and to steer clear of it. Plus he didn't like the fact it was on that kind of lot, he felt they take advantage of people. He is right they do."

"Sweet Pea, have you finished the application?"

She handed it to Lester who in turn passed it to Stephanie. Steph began looking it over right then and a smile broke out across her face.

"You have had some interesting jobs over the years," Steph commented.

"Yes I have, but I have done what I had to in order to survive."

"I understand what you mean. Before I came on here full time, I rolled in a lot of garbage."

Ranger watched the exchange between the two women and noticed an instant bond between both. They had endured a lot of obstacles and over came them. If he read Steph right, she approved. Ranger went on to tell Staci of the job requirements, benefits, and pay rate. She was impressed to say the least.

"We do require you to be physically fit, but since you will always be in the building and not doing field work, you can skip proving yourself with a gun," Ranger explained to her.

"Thank you."

"When Ranger and I go back upstairs, I will start your background check. If that is good we will set up an interview time."

"It was a pleasure meeting you both."

Staci turned to Lester after the couple left and smiled at him. He could see the relief and appreciation in her eyes.

"Les, I need to get home, I have to get some sleep."

Lester handed her the keys to his Challenger that he had been driving earlier. "Take it home so you can get to work in the morning. I will get it after you get to work."

She looked at him bewildered, "I can't take that car home, it is way to expensive for me to drive. What if I wreck it or someone steals it?"

"It is insured. The way I see it, you have two choices, take the car so you can get to work or I go to your place to stay for the night so I can take you to work. Which do you want?"

That was probably the toughest choice she had had all day. "Who is sleeping on the couch because I'm not driving that car."

He smiled at her comment. "Let me grab a go bag."

Lester left her in the conference room while he went to his apartment on four then went to the fifth floor.

"Lester, we got the report on Staci," Stephanie called out to him. "You would not believe what is in it." Lester began to immediately get defensive and worried too. "It is nothing criminal, but it is about her life and things that had happened in it," Steph added.

"What is in it?"

"Just read the report."

Lester took a few minutes to look the report over. He understood why she didn't want to talk about her childhood. She had been given a tough hand and she had made it through. There in black and white he learned about Staci's life and why she had been reluctant to talk about it. The report read that she had been in and out of foster care since she was thirteen after her father killed her mom and brother. She got lucky because she was staying with a friend that night he came home drunk as the social worker once told her and had notated it in her file. After that incident the extended family turned their back on her, none of them offered to take her in. She ended up bouncing around in the foster care system until she was eighteen.

His mind flashed back to what he had first felt, sympathy for her but it turned to admiration for the tough life she had led and how she was doing now. Somehow, he was not surprised about the information in that file even though she hadn't told him.

On Lester's way back down to the conference room, Bobby got on the elevator with him.

"I heard we are getting a receptionist."

Lester nodded, "Her name is Staci Martin."

The doors opened and Lester stepped off, Bobby followed.

"I'm suppose to arrange a time to give her a physical and go ahead an interview her."

This was going faster than Lester even imagined, but he was glad. They walked in the conference room together. "Staci Martin this is Bobby Brown, he will be the one giving you your physical and you also have to interview with him."

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, "Pleasure to meet you Staci."

"Likewise. When do you want to do the physical and interview?"

"Physical we can do tomorrow if you are available, I'd personally like to do the interview now."

"I can do the physical tomorrow, I get off from my job about two-thirty, I can come over after that. Lester, would you be able to go let Daisy out for me tomorrow if I come straight here? She always has to go as soon as I get home."

He nodded a simple yes. "I'll bring you here and then go over there."

"What questions do you have for me Bobby?"

His interview was surprisingly short. He asked about her work history and then a few questions on her goals. Finally he asked how she had met Les. She told him how they had met at a drive thru window with a huge smile on her face. Tomorrow during her physical he would ask more questions she guessed, but she felt she had passed his questions so far with flying colors. And if the look on Lester's face was any indicator she was right, flying colors.

After Staci finished her interview with Bobby she thanked him for his time and told him she would see him tomorrow. He in turn told her it was a pleasure to meet her and kissed the back of her hand again before leaving the room.

"Wonder who else I have to interview with?"

"Tank will be here in a minute. He will be the toughest outside of Ranger. You got lucky with Ranger, Steph being with him he went easier on you than he does most people," Lester said.

Tank walked in the room, she understood why he was called Tank. She was the size of a gnat compared to him. Lester spoke up and introduced them to each other, he was shocked when Tank took Staci's hand and kissed the back of it like Bobby had done. She was hired, he knew it with the way the others had treated her. Beautiful had gotten her way. She may be married to Ranger, but she had all of us wrapped around her little finger, he thought. None of us can tell her no.

Tank talked to Staci for a while asking her questions he knew would show up on a background report, she answered them without hesitation. After another thirty minutes of his interrogation, he finally finished. As soon as he walked out the door, Ranger and Stephanie walked back in.

"Your background check is back already. There wasn't much in it, which is good. How long do you need to give on a notice at your current job?" Stephanie said while smiling from ear to ear.

"I would like to give them the customary two week notice. But Darrin has been known to let people go as soon as they give their notice."

"Wait until after your physical tomorrow then give him your notice."

"That sounds fine. I can do that."

"Sweet Pea are you ready to go home?"

She smiled at him, "Yes, I am." She turned to Ranger and Stephanie, "Thank you for this opportunity I appreciate it very much."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for all the reviews. A special thanks to Rainbow for checking this over for me. Anybody you know from the books are not mine, Staci however is from my brain.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 3

The interview continued

Ranger spoke this time, "If you do well you could learn other things like payroll or background checks for potential employees for us. Maybe you can help Stephanie with research even. She gets backed up sometimes because she still goes out in the field."

Staci nodded her agreement. Stephanie thought to herself, she will fit in nicely, she already knows how to give a single nod for an answer. How long before she gives one word answers and does the single raised eyebrow? Steph rolled her eyes to herself after that thought went through her mind.

Lester and Staci left Rangeman and headed back to her trailer, "What do you think Sweet Pea?"

"I guess good jobs do fall out of the sky."

"You will be happy there. It really is a great place to work and not because the greatest guy in the world works there."

She rolled her eyes at that line. Lester held her hand as he drove towards her neighborhood. He thought about really getting to know her and if she would ever talk about her childhood and rough past.

"Sweet Pea, tell me about some of the things you like and dislike."

"What do you mean? Food, music, clothes or things in general?"

"Everything, I want to know everything."

"If it is food and green, I don't like it. If it is good for you, I don't like it."

She and Beautiful are going to get along great, so far so good, he thought.

Staci went on to tell him things she liked and things she didn't, along with things that were meh. He learned a whole lot about the type person she was and hopefully she felt about him like he was starting to feel about her. After she gave him a list of things that was good and bad she asked the same of him. His likes and dislikes were a whole lot shorter, but then again women think a lot more than most men.

It was late when they arrived back at her trailer, but for once she didn't mind it being late when she went to bed. She knew she had a new job lined up and couldn't wait to start. Staci was excited to be getting a job with normal hours. Hopefully Daisy would like the new hours too, she would love to be able to take Daisy to work with her.

Daisy was laid back and would either lay at her feet or try to lay in her lap. Staci loved being able to snuggle with her. She needed to talk to Stephanie about that since she felt with her personality she was probably an animal lover too. Finally settling down, Staci went to sleep in her bed while Les slept on her couch.

She woke the next morning with a warm body pressed to her. At some point during the night, Daisy gave up her guard post to snuggle with her mom. Staci laid in the bed for a few minutes just spending some time with her beloved little dog getting kisses and walked all over by an overly zealous four legged fur-kid. She finally forced herself to crawl out from under the pup and made her way to the bathroom. When she stepped through the door out into the rest of the trailer the smell of coffee brewing hit her senses, making her eyes pop open even more. Bless Lester's heart she thought. Maybe he was a keeper.

Quickly Staci showered and dressed for work. Les had already dressed and was ready to leave anytime she was. He told her he was working in the office today and as long as Daisy behaved herself she could go with him. Staci gave him a couple of her favorite toys and some Milk Bones along with her water dish since she would get thirsty during the day. Les was learning how to score serious points with her. Showing interest in her dog was the best way to her heart.

She took Daisy on a quick walk before they left the trailer. Les hoped once she got settled in working at Rangeman he could get her to move into an apartment on the fourth floor, away from the trailer and that neighborhood. He doubted however that she would move. Les figured she would want to stay there since it was paid for and set-up to her liking.

When they arrived at her job her boss was waiting on her at the back door, she quickly kissed Lester bye and gave Daisy a kiss and scratch on the head before getting out of the car. Darrin held the door open for her before giving a wave to Lester. Staci put her purse in her locker, washed her hands and began getting the store ready to open.

At his usual time Lester came through the drive-thru, today he got his usual plus a piece of bologna for his side kick. She asked him how Daisy was doing at work.

"She growled at Tank and practically crawled in Steph's lap. She was a big hit with her."

"Good. Wait until you get back to give her the bologna or you will have bologna all over you car. She can be enthusiastic when it comes to eating. Later baby."

"See you at two-thirty."

She was glad to hear that Daisy was doing well at work and was being accepted there. Staci wondered however if Lester could get by with it because he was Ranger's cousin or if pets were accepted in general. Maybe she would talk to Lester instead of Steph about Daisy accompanying her at work.

Her day passed quickly again, soon it was time to close and begin the clean up process. She left at her normal time. Waiting on the parking lot was Daisy and her sidekick Les. They had been on a walk so Daisy could stretch and potty if need be. When did Les become Daisy's sidekick, she chuckled to herself, that was cute. Of course Daisy looked really happy with Les. _'_ He better not be buttering that dog up for something she thought.

"What is so funny Sweet Pea?"

"I was thinking about Daisy having you for a sidekick and she looked really happy."

"I have that effect on the females," he informed her while waggling his eyebrows.

Staci shook her head and rolled her eyes at his statement followed with a smile that made his day.

"Lets go get your physical."

He opened the door for her but Daisy beat her into the car then automatically moved to the backseat. After he had his girls settled he moved to the drivers side of the car to get in. When had they become my girls, he thought.

When they got to Rangeman, Lester escorted Staci to the infirmary where Bobby was waiting. She told Les she would see him in a bit. They kissed goodbye before he left with Daisy.

Bobby performed his physical on her making notes on her overall health as he went. Upon completion, he told her that she appeared to be in good health overall but he would like for her to walk more either on the treadmill or outside which ever she was most comfortable with.

"Your blood pressure is great, eyes looked good, you have decent muscle tone, I think you will do just fine. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yes I do. This is the first physical I have had in seven years. Do I need to have a pap smear and that type check up with you or with someone else?"

"As a rule I don't do them, but then again with the exception of Stephanie and now you, there are no females to perform them on. Yes, you need to have one just for your own well being not for a condition of being hired. If you are comfortable enough with me, I can do yours today or at another time it is up to you. For your comfort, if you like, I can have Steph in the room. I will tell you, I do perform Stephanie's exams and administer her birth control shot every three months. If you want, I can administer your shot for you as well, again if you are comfortable enough with me," he knew he was repeating himself somewhat but he wanted desperately to reassure her since he didn't know her that well.

"Bobby, I don't have a primary care physician or a gynecologist."

"Do you have time today, we can go ahead and get that done?"

"Sure how long will it take?"

"Not long, what kind of birth control do you currently take?"

"I don't, I have ... I ... I have never had sex."

Bobby stood there silent for a moment, "You are seeing Lester and you have never had sex.?"

"No I haven't. Is that a problem?"

"No it isn't a problem, just a surprise. I hate to be the one to say this, Lester as a rule doesn't date, he is more of a one night stand kind of guy. He's not put any moves on you?"

"No, he hasn't."

Bobby rubbed his hands down his face, what he heard about Les surprised him. Lester's little black book had volumes, it was more like four little black books. She had no idea the kind of man he had been.

Staci was getting worried with Bobby's actions and quite uncomfortable. He acted like someone had just jerked a rug out from under him. Before she had a chance to question him, he spoke.

"Lets get you set up for your exam and I will call Steph. Here is a sheet just drape it over you after you have removed all of your clothes and gotten back on the table."

Bobby stepped out of the room to give her some privacy and to compose himself while he waited on Steph to join him. Les was a lucky bastard, he probably found the only virgin in the whole city. He thought to himself that hopefully Lester wouldn't pressure her.

When Steph arrived he told her what was going on, "Staci has agreed to allow me to do her pap. To make her feel more comfortable, I asked her if she would like another person in the room. She agreed to have you there."

Steph agreed that was not a problem she would go with him.

He tapped on the door before going back in the room. Staci was on the table waiting on him. Bobby got out everything needed to administer the pelvic exam on Staci. It only took him a few minutes to get the sample needed for testing. Once that portion was completed, Steph left the room, the rest of the exam and conversations needed to be private.

"Do you want a birth control shot today or would you like to think about it?"

"What is your opinion Bobby?"

"How likely are you to cave if Les would pressure you for sex?"

"Not likely, all of the men I have dated in the past gave up when I wouldn't cave. At some point I might consider sex with him, but my plan had been for me to be married first. It is the best gift I could give my husband."

"Darling that is the best philosophy to have. Yes, it would be the greatest thing you could give your future husband. Let me know if you change your mind. The shot is fast acting, it takes effect within about thirty minutes of when it is administered. I deem you healthy and Lester a lucky bastard to have you. If it doesn't work out with him, I'm also available."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. He left the room so she could redress. Again he tapped on the door before coming in the room, she had completed getting dressed. He handed her a piece of paper telling her his report.

"That is your copy, I will escort you to Ranger's office with my copy and you can finish with him."

They went to the fifth floor via the stairs, "This is the control room." She took a moment to look around the room. To her, it looked like a cube farm. "Les will give you a tour later I'm sure."

Upon reaching Ranger's door Bobby knocked, "Enter" came from the other side of the door. Bobby had gotten in the habit of giving a five count after hearing that to open the door, too many times he had been quick to open the door and caught Bomber straightening her shirt or skirt. Today, Staci didn't need to see that. He opened the door, he was glad he had counted, Steph's hair needed a brush. 'How could she be in that condition that fast she just left my office?' he wondered.

"Here are the results of Staci's physical, she is ready to go."

He handed Ranger the report and paused before turning to leave the office. Ranger took a moment to look them over before placing papers in Staci's file.

"Have you given your boss your notice?"

"Not yet, I wanted to make sure I passed the physical first."

Ranger nodded a single time and looked at Steph. She and Bobby left the room, leaving Staci alone with Ranger.

"Give your notice tomorrow, you can either start the day after that or after your notice is up, just let Lester, Steph or myself know what the plan is."

"I will give it and let Les know the end result."

Ranger gave a single nod and a barely there smile. "I understand he has a new partner with him today."

Staci smiled, "Yes he does, her name is Daisy."

"Well any dog that is brave enough to growl at Tank is welcome here. Babe liked her."

"Thank you. I didn't know if Rangeman was pet friendly or not. I'm glad to be able to bring her with me."

"As long as Daisy is good, she is welcome." She nodded in appreciation. "I understand you have a shopping date with my wife. It would seem my primo has invited you to our Christmas party and offered to buy you the clothes needed for it."

Staci smiled, "Yeah, he asked me and offered to buy. It is a generous offer. I'm excited to go."

"I'll admit, my wife had excellent taste in clothes. She will make you look extra special for him, not that you need help. I think the two of you will be good for each other. It has not been easy for him."

After Staci began working there, she would learn Ranger had verbal diarrhea in the conversation he had with her today. Before she rose from her chair she admitted to Ranger, "Les is a very special man. We got off on the wrong foot. I thought Les and Steph were together. Then he told me they were partners. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Because of it, I almost didn't go out with him and that ... that would have been my loss."

He gave her one of his rare smiles, "See you tomorrow." Even though he would not admit it, her comment made him mad. Ranger didn't want anyone to think Steph belonged to another man. He wasn't mad at Staci, but the situation.

She gave him a single nod and left the room in search of Lester they had some celebrating to do. It looked like things had turned around for her. She found her man in the break room.


	4. Chapter 4

Not mine except Staci and Daisy. Thank you for all the reviews. Rainbow, great job as usual.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 4

Stephanie came by the break room before the couple left the office. She offered to go shopping with Staci to get to know her better. They took off to Quaker Bridge Mall to look for the dress. Les had given Stephanie his credit card along with instructions to buy whatever Staci liked, he didn't care if she liked ten dresses, get them all if she couldn't decide.

He wanted her to be happy and have more clothes than what he had seen in her closet. They could be for Christmas if nothing else. He smiled as he watched the two women leave. Looks like Staci has a new friend he thought.

Staci found two dresses she liked and Steph agreed that either would be good for the party later on. Not to mention, they made Staci look very sexy. Steph talked Staci into getting both dresses. They took the dresses to the shoe department to try to match them to the most ideal footwear.

Staci didn't want super high heels since she wasn't used to wearing them. Stephanie found a pair of three inch high FMP's that Staci felt comfortable in. Luckily for Staci the shoes were available in colors that matched both dresses. Handbags were a breeze when they went to match them with the shoes Staci had chosen. They were nice clutches that gave her enough room for essentials but weren't bulky.

Steph suggested a stop at Victoria Secret. She picked out some matching bra and thong sets. Staci looked bewildered at her, "Those look really uncomfortable."

Stephanie laughed, "They are but there is no panty lines, your other option is commando."

"I'd rather do that than wear a thong."

"Lester would have less to take off of you that way."

Staci cocked her head and looked at Steph, "We're not having sex. Why does everybody think that we are?"

Steph took her hand, "Because Les is a huge player, like player with a capital 'P'. It is surprising that is all."

"Between me and you, I have never had sex and wasn't planning on it until I got married."

"That is wonderful, but I am surprised Les is going along with it."

"Honestly, he has never pressured me. I was hoping he respected my decision."

They finished picking out the undergarments they wanted, paid then went to the food court.

"What sounds good? My treat," Steph offered as her stomach made it's presence known.

Staci decided she was in the mood for a burger. They placed their order and waited at the counter. Once the food was ready the ladies found a table near the escalator to sit, it closed off one side from somebody approaching them. The walls surrounding the escalator held down on some of the background noise so they could chat while they ate.

"Thank you for lunch. I'm glad Lester helped me get this job. I've gotten so tired of the stress of working seven days per week."

"Think of lunch as a welcome to Rangeman lunch. Why were you working so much?"

"Minimum wage, it was the only way to make it. Now a _normal_ schedule, I won't know how to act and neither will Daisy."

"I'm glad we were able to help you. Have you been to college?"

Staci shook her head no, Stephanie knew she hadn't from the background check, but she wanted to hear about Staci's past from the woman herself and not some background check for work and her being nosy. They paused conversation while they finished eating. Once done, Stephanie asked Staci more questions trying to get to know her and see how she could be a bigger asset to Rangeman or how Rangeman could help her. She started formulating a plan in her mind of what other tasks Staci could learn and perform based on her current education level.

"After your probationary period is up, we will talk to Ranger and the others on the core team about maybe getting you some college courses, maybe in computer sciences or office management classes, both would probably be best."

The women liked each other and could see themselves being good friends, they needed to be. Ranger had mentioned about Staci helping Steph with searches, it would be hard to do if they didn't get along.

"Tell me about Lester, you said he was a player with a capital 'P'."

"Staci, it wasn't my place to say that, nor would it be right for you to find out the hard way. Lester is a good man with a wonderful heart. He was burnt by a woman years ago and isn't willing to give his heart to another. Over the years he has become a love 'em and leave 'em type man. The fact he isn't pressuring you for sex, is a _huge_ statement and step for him. I would venture to say, he sees something in you."

Staci smiled, "I hope so, I see a lot in him. He so far has been the sweetest man I have met in a long time."

Stephanie had learned one night on a stakeout that Lester had been married a few years ago. On one of his deployments his wife cheated, he found out when he came home and she was pregnant. He was smart enough to do the math and knew the child wasn't his. The courts gave him a divorce with no problems when the evidence was presented. Lester's relationship with women changed after that and he had been a player ever since. Steph hoped his outlook was about to change.

The women gathered their purchases, after they had everything in their hands Stephanie's phone gave the Batman ring tone. She shuffled everything around and answered her phone.

"Yo."

"That is my line, yo yourself. Where are you?"

"At the food court."

"Stay there, we will be there in a minute."

Ranger hung up as usual. She told Staci that they were to stay there. A couple minutes later, Ranger and Lester walked up to them.

"What brings you two here? It is nearly impossible to get him to the mall," Steph said as she pointed to Ranger while looking at Staci.

Ranger replied, "We just wanted to see how the shopping was going."

With that statement Steph attempted to raise an eyebrow at him, then she noticed Staci had one raised eyebrow at him. Great, she can single nod, give one word answers AND do the eyebrow thing Steph thought _._ The men took the purchases from them to carry back to the cars for them.

Lester asked Staci what all she had gotten. She told him about the dresses, shoes, and the trip to Victoria Secret. "Will you model the under clothes for me Sweet Pea?"

"Not tonight but someday maybe."

Lester accepted her answer, sadly but accepted it none of the less. He really understood. If and when the day came he would appreciate it even more, she would be all the more special to him.

The men had arrived in Lester's car. Before each couple got in their cars, Staci told all of them thank you and she would let them know what Darrin had to say at work tomorrow. On the way home, Staci and Lester stopped to get Daisy some kibble since she was getting low, Les also got a pet gate to go in the doorway of his office. He could let Daisy cruise in his office while he worked and wouldn't have to watch her as closely.

Lester didn't let Staci know that he had Ranger with him when he took Daisy home for fear it would embarrass her, but both men agreed that she needed to be encouraged to get out of that area of town. With her new position she would be able to afford a much nicer place not that they could force her to get a new one.

Ranger agreed with Lester for him to move to work the same hours as Staci, it would allow her to hold off on getting another car for a while if they could ride together. In the mean time, if she had some kind of appointment she could use a company car or take Lester's. They knew transportation would not be an issue for long since she was coming on board.

They arrived home to a waiting Daisy. She gave them a mighty tail wag and major whining. "Did mommy and daddy leave you alone too long?"

Staci slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had said. It had just slipped out. Hopefully Lester didn't hear that, she thought.

"No your parents didn't leave you alone very long at all, besides you were in your comfy house with all your toys, everything was perfect wasn't it Daisy," Lester said while scratching her ears.

Yep he heard. Now she needed to decide what to do, play it off as if it doesn't matter or accept that yes it mattered.

She opted to apologize, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that, she just seemed really excited to see you too."

"Please don't apologize, I wasn't sure how you felt either. Now we know where we stand with each other at least as far as Daisy is concerned for the moment. Let me say this, I really like you and I know I am practically living here, but I seriously want to date you, get to know you and see where it goes. Staci you are a good woman and you don't hide yourself from me considering your childhood and yes it showed on your background report. It is not important to me, that says a lot about your character and the person I am attracted to."

A single tear ran down her face. Lester wiped the tear away with his thumb. "I only want to see happy tears from you. It is my goal to make you happy."

"Then you should have let that tear go, it was a happy tear," she said through more tears. "I want to get to know you too Lester, so far you have been amazing. You have treated me better than most people ever have and you don't really know me yet. It leaves me stunned, that you would want to know me. Most people never try, I'm just the woman at the drive thru window, who they throw their money at and receive food from."

He pulled her into his arms to hold her. Remembering his conversation with Ranger, he told Staci about his hours being changed after she starts at Rangeman to allow them to ride together for work. "It will allow you to save for a nicer car that you will have paid for without my help."

That statement made Staci chuckle, she really wanted to remain independent. She would accept the rides to and from work, but she would be grateful to have her own wheels.

While time wise it was still early, it was getting late for Staci who had to get up at three in the morning to go to work. She took Daisy on a quick walk with Lester. Upon their return, Lester asked her if she would like to live at Rangeman possibly in the future. Staci wasn't sure and told him she would have to think on it, but a lot would depend on how her job went and how things developed between her and Lester.

She went to the bathroom to prepare for bed, afterwards she came back to the living room to Lester and kissed him good night. There was something more to him than the player everybody talked about she could see it. She was falling hard for this man.

The next morning Lester took her to the restaurant for work, he kissed her and told her good luck with Darrin. She exited the car after kissing him and his side kick bye. Daisy whined when she got out of the car, but Lester calmed her by talking to her and scratching her ears.

"Daisy, you have a very special mommy, do you realize that? Hopefully someday you might have a full time daddy to be around. I think I am falling hard for your mom, I just hope she is feeling the same way."

Daisy's reply was simple, she licked his face.

Staci told Darrin about the job opportunity. He was glad she had the chance for a job that would pay much better than working at the restaurant and give her benefits. He asked her when she would be starting the new job.

"I'm leaving that up to you. I know in the past you have let people go ahead and leave. With this job I have a couple options, I told the staff there I wanted to give you my two week notice so you could find someone else and not leave you in a lurch or I could make Saturday my last day and start there on Monday. It is entirely up to you."

"Do you need a couple days to yourself to just relax and have a break? You have been working here seven days a week. We could make today your last day. You would have Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off before starting your new job." He paused before adding, "Frankly, you could use a break, I wasn't sure how to say it to you because I know your money is tight."

"I won't be leaving you in a lurch?" Darrin shook his head no. "And you really don't mind?" Again no.

"I think that is settled, Staci I will miss you, but I only want the best for you. You deserve a good job and it looks like you also have a good man at your side."

"Yeah Darrin, I have found a good man, I just don't know yet where it is going to go. Thank you for being so understanding."

"If the job doesn't work out you are welcome to come back, but hopefully I never see you again on this side of the counter. I'd rather you come back to eat and visit, not to work."

Lester and Daisy rolled up to the drive-thru at his normal time and got his usual with a side of bologna. When he pulled up to the window, Staci told him that today was her last day and they could talk more after she got off from work. The rest of the day was a blur, they closed down and did clean up quickly, luckily Wednesdays were typically slow in the afternoon.

Darrin gathered the other employees around, "I have an announcement to make, today we are saying goodbye to one of our friends. Staci has accepted a position at Rangeman and will be starting on Monday. Lets all wish her good luck."

Staci received cheers, congratulations and good luck wishes. She looked around to see Lester standing by the door with a beautiful smile on his face. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. She got plenty of cat calls, several 'go girl's and one 'where can I get one of those' out of the others on staff. She hugged Darrin bye and thanked him again for being understanding.

Once in the car, she was greeted by the canine welcoming committee of Daisy. Lester gave her a kiss too. "So what is the plan Sweet Pea?"

"I start Rangeman on Monday. I have the rest of the week off. Darrin said I looked like I needed a break, so I'm taking one."

"Let me call Ranger and let him know. Would you like to come to the office tomorrow, Ella can get your uniforms ordered?"

"Uniforms?"

"You will be outfitted like Steph. Except you don't need the utility belt. I guess really you'll be dressed like me as well."

"What is your schedule tomorrow?"

"Just work, are you wanting to do something?"

"No, yes but it is too much to ask so never mind."

"What is it Sweet Pea?"

"I'd like to go to dinner and then see Christmas lights."

A huge smile broke out across Lester's face, "I believe that can be arranged. Where would you like to go to dinner?"

"Some place simple and not too expensive."

"I'll make arrangements. Lets go home."

Lester drove home in silence, he was working on a plan in his mind for a wonderful evening with Staci. When they arrived at the trailer, Staci started dinner consisting of lasagna, salad and garlic bread. Lester liked her cooking, dinner was excellent. After dinner was over, she washed the dishes while Les took Daisy on a walk. Just as she was finishing up Les and Daisy came back.

Les was acting agitated and concerned when he came back. "Would you like to stay at my apartment tonight?"

"I hadn't planned on it, what is up?"

"Sweet Pea ... I am concerned ... concerned about this park. I witnessed a drug deal next door while I was walking Daisy. I'm worried about your safety."

Staci didn't know what to say she was shocked, the neighbors were new and she didn't even know their names, but she could see the concern in his eyes and hear it in his voice. "Let me pack a bag and get stuff together for Daisy."

A few minutes later, they were out the door and on their way to safety at Rangeman.


	5. Chapter 5

Not mine except the ones from my head. Thank you for the guest reviews, they are appreciated. Guest reviewer JB, Les is glad for the experience of being cheated on since it taught him what he did and didn't want in another mate. Rain, great job as usual.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 5

The next morning Staci and Lester returned to her trailer. Police tape greeted them. It was blocking off her trailer and the one next door where Les had witnessed the drug deal the night before. Sadly, her trailer was riddled with bullet holes just like the one next door.

"What happened?"

"Sweet Pea, I would guess there was another drug deal after we left that went bad. After seeing this, I am really relieved you and I went to Rangeman last night."

Officer Robin Russell came over to where Staci and Lester were parked. As she approached they exited the car, Staci asked, "Can you tell me what happened please? That is my home."

"Let me ask you where you were last night between nine and two o'clock?"

"I stayed at Rangeman with Lester and my dog, again I ask what happened here?"

"You were both there all night and just now returned this morning?"

Finally Les spoke up, "Robin what is this all about?"

"There was a drive-by shooting, that left three dead in the one trailer and another dead in your home."

"Officer Russell, there should have been nobody in my home. We left about eight o'clock last night."

Les piped up, "Robin, last night when I went out to walk her dog, I saw a drug deal in progress. I didn't like it being so close to Staci so I asked her to go to Rangeman to stay for the night."

"Do you remember the car the buyer was driving?"

"Dark blue, two thousand one Buick sedan Pennsylvania plates two, four, five, PT five, nine. It could have been a delivery instead with it being out of state plates."

"Les you have been a big help. Staci when the body is gone you or Lester can come back and get you some more clothes. I'm going to be here a while, I'll try to bag you a few more clothes if you want even, I just can't make any promises."

"Thank you Officer Russell, I appreciate the offer. I really don't want to go in there."

"Please call me Robin, come back around two, I'll try to have the clothes ready." She handed Staci a business card with her name and number on it.

Staci thanked Robin again before allowing Lester to lead her back to the car. Once in the car, Staci started to cry in earnest. In her mind she had lost her car and her home in the span of a few days. Robin had asked her again if anybody should have been in the house and Staci told her no. There was no id on the body, finger prints had not turned up anything either, so far the body was a Jane Doe.

Once Staci settled some she asked, "Lester, the Jane Doe in my house, was that to be a message to us?"

"Sweet Pea, I don't have an answer for you, I would presume so, but who knows, maybe she broke in looking for help. I just know you were safe with me and you will always be."

He smiled at her and pulled her to him so their foreheads were touching then kissed her forehead upon releasing her. What Lester had told her was the truth, she was safe with him. Without further investigation on Rangeman's part they would not know about the woman even then there was no guarantee. His desire to see her away from the trailer park was completed, he knew she wouldn't go back given her childhood.

They made their way back to the restaurant so she could pick up her paycheck. She would get one more after this unless Darrin paid her out in full today, she could hope. Upon entering the restaurant she was greeted by a relieved Darrin.

"I heard they found a woman's body in your house and your place had been shot up last night. What was going on around there?"

She relayed to him what she had learned from the police but left out what Lester had told them. From now on she would be staying with Lester at Rangeman until she found someplace better to live. Darrin told her he was sorry she was having a tough time this week but maybe things would be better now. He asked her to wait a minute and he would print off her paycheck so she would have some funds to tide her over.

A few moments later Darrin returned, "I made the check out for both weeks along with a two hundred dollar bonus, please accept it, you deserve it."

She hugged and thanked him before leaving. Lester opened the car door for her, before she got in he pulled her to him and kissed her squarely and thoroughly on the lips. She could see relief written all over his face, he was glad she was with him, she was glad too. Staci saw this as the beginning of a new life for herself and things would be turning around for her.

"What do you think about me going back to school, maybe taking some computer or business management classes?"

"I think that would be wonderful, if you wait until your probationary period is up Rangeman will pick up the tab."

"Stephanie told me that yesterday, but I couldn't believe it. I don't have that type of luck."

"Ranger is serious about education and helping people better themselves if they want. He is a good man in that respect, well he's really a good man overall."

"I want to learn more, the more I know the bigger asset I can be to Rangeman."

Lester smiled, that had been something he wondered about but hadn't asked, she wanted to better herself and knew that the best way was through education. Staci told him about the bonus Darrin had given her and she thought it best to put it all in the savings account to go towards the new car since it wasn't part of her normal pay, he agreed. While going to her bank so she could deposit her check, he had thought about the party Saturday night and how beautiful she would be in either dress she wore.

Since she didn't typically wear make up Steph was going to help her with it. The women planned on Staci going to the penthouse for Steph's help. Before Steph and Ranger married, Staci would have not gotten anywhere near the penthouse, Ranger didn't allow it. Now that Steph had him 'P' whipped, she could have people up there.

Lester had asked Stephanie if she could set up an appointment for Staci with Mr. Alexander to have her hair done along with a mani/pedi. She was glad to do it. Knowing that Lester's feelings for Staci were getting deeper by the day, anything she could do to help show Lester in the best light she would.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Rangeman with Ella fitting Staci for her uniforms and welcoming her to the Rangeman family. Afterwards Lester took Staci on a tour of Rangeman since she hadn't gone on one yet. He also took the time to introduce her to most of the staff even though he knew it would take time for her to learn everybody's names. All the men were friendly with her especially after he told them she was his and yes she was going to be the receptionist.

The men watched as he guided her into the stairwell with his hand at the small of her back, they knew he would be back to brag. You could always count on Lester to brag, he loved to do it and gossip, today however he didn't. Well not at first.

When they finished the tour, they went back to the fifth floor where Ranger was waiting on her, he handed her a fob for the gate and an id badge with her picture on it. After she thanked Ranger for the opportunity and the equipment, she excused herself to go walk Daisy. Ranger asked Lester what kind of training schedule he had planned for her. Lester went into detail about what he and Bobby came up with training wise for her factoring in her walks with Daisy which usually totaled three miles per day they thought a couple more on the treadmill would do for that portion. Les would work with her on free weights until she got to know some of the other men and then they could take over slowly. Steph was going to try to get her to do some aerobics with her since she loved to do that the most along with Zumba. Satisfied with the plan Ranger dismissed him.

Manny called out for Les to come over, "So who is the new flavor?"

"She is Staci Martin, we have been going out some over the last little bit. She is going with me to the party."

"What is she going to do for a job after you nail her? She isn't going to want to hang around after you tag her and run."

"No plans to tag her as you say. She isn't one to put out, she claims to never have."

"That will be fun for you."

"Kiss my ass, Manny."

Lester ended the conversation by walking off and looking for Stephanie. He checked in with her to make sure all the plans were set for Saturday afternoon. She confirmed that they were a go and had an appointment at one o'clock on Saturday. He smiled and thanked her before going to the apartment he hoped to share with Staci on a permanent basis, luckily for her he had a two bedroom apartment so she and Daisy could have their own space.

When he walked in the apartment, he grabbed his car keys so he could go get her clothes and secure the trailer if the police were done. The trailer was still blocked with crime scene tape but Robin allowed him to go into the home since they were mostly done with it. He gathered up more of her clothes than Robin had gotten time to do and carried them to his car. Once the clothes were loaded he went to find Robin.

"Have you learned anything more about all of this?"

"Not much more, the woman it appears started in the other trailer and made it over here and into Staci's trailer where she later died. We still don't know her id. How is Staci?"

"Shaken up of course, I had been hoping to get her to move out of the neighborhood, now it looks like that won't be a problem. She knew she couldn't ever live there again."

"Take care of her. After being in her house, she appears to be a sweet girl. I think we are done in there, but leave it unlocked in case we need to go back in for some reason. I will lock it up before I leave."

"Thanks Robin. By the way, yes she is very sweet and for some reason she likes me," he smiled when he said it. Saying it out loud made him ... happy.

When he returned to his apartment he found that Staci and Daisy had came back from their walk and were snuggled up on their bed taking a much deserved and needed nap. Lester toed off his boots and dropped his utility belt before laying down and snuggling into Staci's back. Later Staci woke up to find herself sandwiched between a dog and Les, she smiled at the picture they must make. Feeling safe with him she decided she didn't want to get up she snuggled back against Lester more and wrapped her arm around Daisy again.

An hour later, Lester woke up, he noticed the 'girls' were still asleep. He set about getting dinner together, his simplest solution, order out. One food Staci told him she liked was Chinese, he pulled the menu for the restaurant down the street from the office and placed the order. Les quietly slipped back into Staci's room and tried gently to wake her up. Staci opened one eye to look at him, he smiled at her then told her about ordering food. Apparently that was all the incentive he needed to get her to wake up and move out of the bed. Daisy yawned and slowly stretched before circling and laying back down on the covers. Must not have been incentive enough for Daisy Les decided.

Staci made her way to the kitchen and prepared Daisy's kibble while Les went to retrieve the food from the lobby. When Les walked back in the apartment, the scent filled Staci's nose and a 'MMMM' sound came from her as well. It didn't take long to realize they hadn't eaten yet for the day. Les distributed the food onto their plates while Staci poured drinks for them. They settled at the small dinette table before placing Daisy's food on the floor. She groveled a little bit before Staci scolded her. Daisy's expression was 'really' you get the good stuff and I get dog food, but she ate it anyway.

As they ate Les asked Staci if she was excited for the start of her new job and the party Saturday night. She said she was and was also looking forward to having a mani/pedi that Steph arranged on his behalf.

"Sweet Pea, I want to pamper you as much as you will allow me to. What ever you want done at the beauty shop Saturday, have it done, it is my treat, and my welcome to Rangeman."

Staci smiled, "Have I told you, you are the sweetest man I have met in a long time?"

Now it was Les' turn to smile, "No you haven't, but I am glad. Staci, it has been a long time since I trusted a woman or wanted to date a woman and get to know her."

"Why?" Staci wondered if he would tell her the truth or a variation of what Steph had told her the other day.

"I was hurt by a woman years ago, since then I have refused to put myself out there to get hurt again. Now, I think maybe ... maybe I want to try again, with you. Hey, Daisy needs a dad in her life too."

She got an abbreviated version of what Steph had told her the other day, but in essence it was the same story. Leave it to Les to take a serious statement and add to it to break some of the tension. He was right sorta, Daisy did like him at least.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. I really do want to get to know you better and see where we go from here. At some point, yes Lester, Daisy will need a dad."

The both got at chuckle out of Daisy's need for a dad in her life. After the day she had had Staci needed a reason to laugh, it had been tough on her.

Dinner was awesome, he had ordered her favorite General Tso's Chicken, rice, broccoli and a side of lo' mein. Les had Bourbon Chicken along with the same sides as Staci.

After they finished eating Lester told Staci to get some warmer clothes on they were going to look at Christmas lights. She quickly added a sweatshirt to what she had on and grabber her gloves. When Les talked to Ranger earlier he asked if he could take Staci to the roof to see the lights from up there before taking her out to the park. Ranger agreed, he wouldn't have denied Les.

Lester fobbed his way to the seventh floor, from there they needed to walk to the roof. He opened the door for her to exit out onto the roof. Ranger and Steph were there doing the same thing.

"It is beautiful up here Les," Staci said.

"Sweet Pea, it is not as beautiful as you are."

Ranger had his arms wrapped around Steph when he spoke, "We come up here often to look out over the city and see the lights. To be in town, you are up just high enough to be above the street noise, making it fairly quiet."

After he had finished speaking, Ranger went back to kissing his wife's neck and Staci deducted he was seducing Steph. Staci stepped away from the couple and walked towards another area of the roof.

Lester came up behind her and gently placed his chin on her shoulder, "You are right Sweet Pea, the lights are beautiful. Looking in this direction in the daylight you could see the trailer park, and this direction is the restaurant, over here would be the downtown district and this is towards Chambersburg," as he explained he turned her in each direction.

"It is amazing and disturbing, all at the same time."

Les looked at her puzzled. "It is amazing and disturbing how life is different in each direction. Towards the trailer, there are not a lot of Christmas lights or decorations, towards the restaurant, there are more and you have some of the businesses lit up too, of course downtown is going to be lit up because that is the heart of the city plus elected officials want the downtown area to look good to attract more businesses and tourists, then Chambersburg is also lit up. People _live_ there."

She paused for a few moments before continuing to speak, "I hope I never end up where I was again."

Lester sighed, not if I can help it he thought. "Sweet Pea do you want to go out to the park to look at lights?"

She nodded yes before saying good night to Ranger and Stephanie. Lester escorted her off of the roof leaving the lovebirds alone.

"I think they are really falling for each other. Now lets hope your cousin doesn't screw it up," Steph commented.

Ranger silently agreed with his Babe.

Lester took Staci and Daisy to the park to walk around the lake and look at the decorations. As they walked they held hands, Les had Daisy's leash and Staci kept her free hand around Les' bicep this allowed her to tuck her fingers in between Les' arm and body keeping the hand warmer.

She thought he looked incredibly sexy in his hunter green, gold and blue flannel shirt with jeans, leather bomber jacket and black scarf. He looked down at her snuggled in close, he liked it. They reached the half way point of their walk when Daisy decided she needed to tinkle. While she did her thing, they took the time to share a tender kiss. Staci looked at Lester's twinkling eyes and how those beautiful green eyes were showing her that he loved her. They were eyes a woman could get lost in if she looked at them too long. The spell was broken when Daisy started pulling on the leash.

Santa was visiting the park that night as he did every night during the Christmas season. Lester told Staci to go tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas. She laughed at Les and went ahead to do it. Santa asked her if she had been a good girl all year, she nodded yes. He proceeded to ask her what she wanted for Christmas.

"I don't have any wants, I have a few needs. My car burnt a few days ago and then somebody broke in my house and died in there yesterday. I can't go back there. So I need another car and some place to live that I can call my own."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she told this stranger her dilemma, "Dear child, I'm so sorry you have gone through this. What kind of car do you want?" Santa asked. She chuckled.

"I know you really can't help with such things but if you could I would like an SUV, he thinks it would be safer for me and Daisy the dog," as she told him she pointed to Lester.

"Well Santa will see what he can do about that."

When she finished one of the elves helping Santa took her picture with him. Little did she know it was a friend of Lester that was working as Santa that night. Then it was Lester's turn. She learned that evening exactly how big of a goofball Lester could be. Lester strolled up to Santa and sat down in his lap.

"Jeez Santos, have you put on weight?"

"Why Santa that is an awful thing to say to me. I have been good _all_ year and when I was bad, I was _really_ good ask your wife."

"Same ole' Santos. What do you want for Christmas?"

"What ever she wanted, tell me."

"She wants a car and a home. Can you make it happen?"

Lester smiled and whispered, "Why yes Santa, I can. She doesn't want me to but I've already planned on it."

"She wants an SUV because you want her to be safer."

A lopsided grin splayed across Lester's lips, "I hope to make her my wife sometime next year."

With that Lester stood up, Staci looked at him and said, "Oh no mister, I had my picture taken, you get yours."

"You heard the lady," Lester said as he flopped back down on Willis' leg.

"I think you broke my leg." They saw the flash of the camera. "Get off of me jackass."

After getting their pictures they walked back to the car. Lester dried Daisy's paws before putting her in the car then helping Staci in. A few minutes later they pulled back in at Rangeman for the night.

"Did you enjoy the lights Sweet Pea?" Les asked as they walked back to the apartment.

"Yes I did, I think Daisy enjoyed the walk too. I need to get a picture frame Saturday while I am at the mall. On Monday this picture can go on my desk," Staci said as she continued to look at the picture of Les with Santa. Falling in love with him a little more as she continued looking at it.


	6. Chapter 6

Not mine. Thank you to everybody who has left a review they mean a lot. Rainbow, thanks great job as usual.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 6

Saturday morning Staci woke up to the smell of coffee in the apartment. Bless Lester's heart she thought. She got out of bed, took care of the call of nature and brushed her teeth before going to the kitchen. When she walked in the kitchen she really blessed Lester's heart, he had gone to Tasty Pastry and brought an assortment of doughnuts for them to have for breakfast.

"Good morning Mr. Wonderful."

"Good morning Sweet Pea."

"You're a saint."

"I know, I hear it all the time."

Staci rolled her eyes. She sat her cup of coffee down and crossed the room to him, "You know I was talking to the coffee when I said Mr. Wonderful.?"

"Suuurrreee you were. I was helping the coffee out by replying for it."

They smiled at each other before chuckling. She kissed him good morning then went back to her coffee.

"Are you working today?"

"Yes I am. I get off at seventeen hundred." She looked at him with a blank face. "Five o'clock. You are going to have to learn military time."

Not before I have to, she thought. She sat her coffee back down so she could put her shoes on. Daisy was going to need to be walked before long. "She has already been out if you are putting your shoes on to take Daisy on a stroll. We went on a walk then went to buy her mommy doughnuts so mommy could sleep in."

"Wow, thank you. I appreciate getting to sleep in, something I rarely got to do. So she abandoned mom to go with daddy?"

Daisy was hoping for crumbs to fall off of a doughnut and looked like she was watching a tennis match as her humans continued their conversation. Staci looked down at her dog, "Did you get fed too?"

Staci switched from looking at Daisy to looking at Les. He nodded his head. This man really was a saint she thought.

She knew Daisy was getting spoiled by Lester a lot. Poor dog was going to probably disown Staci when they got a new place to live and Les wasn't around as much. Daisy would probably ask to live with Les. "You shouldn't spoil her so, what happens when I find a new place to live?"

"You don't have to find a new place. Stay here with me."

"Les, this is only temporary. I wouldn't have been here last night if not for my car blowing up and then there is the whole thing with my home being shot up with a dead body inside."

"Staci, I have the room, it is comfortable and safe, there is no rent for living here. It is that much more you can save."

"Les, please don't make this hard on me. I'm too independent to let you pay for everything. This is only a temporary situation. It is amazing to me how my life has gone down hill in the last couple weeks. Don't get me wrong, I start a great new job on Monday and I'm seeing an incredible man which makes me stoked, but everything else is being taken away. It is really stressing me out."

"I know Pea. I know." He pulled her into his arms before continuing, "I have to get back to work, do you want me to take Daisy with me now or do you want to bring her up before you leave?"

"Now I know you are trying to take over my dog," she said then laughed. "I will bring her up before I leave."

"I think Beautiful said you were leaving about eleven hundred this morning. So you got a couple hours. I'm working in the office all day."

He kissed her good-bye before disappearing out the apartment door and going back to work.

Staci went to take a shower and prepare to leave in a little while. After her shower, she slipped on her jeans and a blouse, then called Steph. "Hey, are you going to be ready at eleven?" she heard over the phone.

"Should be, how about you?"

"I'm almost ready now."

"Les brought doughnuts to the apartment."

"I'll be down in a few," and the line went dead.

Staci laughed, must be Steph's way of saying bye. Sure enough ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. "Its open."

Steph opened the door. "Lester will break you of that habit."

"What habit?"

"Just letting anybody walk in the door. Before you say it, I was just as bad, they broke me of it. Well them and the one time the building was breached."

"They had a security breach at Fort Rangeman?"

Steph laughed and shook her head yes, once she got her composure she went on to tell Staci the story while they ate doughnuts and drank coffee.

At ten fifty Staci took Daisy up to Lester's office to drop her off at doggie day care. She kissed him bye and scratched Daisy's head before heading out with Steph.

On the drive over to the mall Staci told Stephanie that she wanted to get a picture frame for the picture of Lester with Santa. Steph looked at the picture while they were stopped at a light and laughed.

"He is such a goofball. One thing about him, if you let him he will keep you in stitches from laughing. He doesn't like to see me cry and I doubt he will like it when you do even if it is happy tears," Steph told her.

"I'd like to get him a frame identical to whatever one I get. He has a picture of me with Santa too."

They arrived at the mall with plenty of time to look for a couple of frames. Steph told Staci that Thing's Remembered had a good selection of nice frames and it would make a great gift for Christmas. After they finished there they went to Hallmark, Steph wanted to look for a new ornament to go on hers and Ranger's tree it had been something she had done since they had been married.

On the way back to Mr. Alexander's shop they stopped at the Pretzel Shoppe to get a snack and something to drink since they would be in the shop for a few hours. Staci enjoyed the mani/pedi since she had never had either done. She decided her feet felt fabulous and would love to have that experience done on a regular basis. Steph talked her into getting her legs waxed, good thing Staci had tons of manners other wise she would have cussed a blue streak. She finally told Steph that it hurt like crazy, but admitted that was the smoothest her legs had ever been. Staci determined that Steph was insane since she had a Brazilian waxing. Four hours later the women left the shop, luckily they were done shopping and were able to head straight back to Rangeman.

The party was being held in the Alexander Ballroom inside the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal. In order to get there in time they needed to leave by six-thirty. When the women arrived back to Rangeman they had less than an hour to get ready, luckily for Ranger he took the opportunity to get ready before he was invaded. Steph came busting in the door with Staci in tow. Ranger took a chance and exited the apartment just as they were arriving, he was not about to stay with those two. He had faced down enemies in third world countries, but he was not staying and possibly being in the way of two women. It didn't escape him that Staci had brought her dress and shoes with her; from that he decided his office on five was a safe bet or Lester's apartment. He opted for his office, no Santos.

Much to Lester's and Ranger's surprise both women emerged with fifteen minutes to spare.

"Sweet Pea, Beautiful both of you are gorgeous." Ranger agreed and had Steph take his arm. They exited the building and into the waiting limo.

Staci felt like Cinderella, this was a whole new world for her and was totally out of her element. Before they had left Lester took Daisy to his office on five so one of the contract workers could take her out and keep check on her. Without the worry of Daisy, Staci could have a fairy tale night.

Lester watched Staci smiling and taking everything in, he knew she had never experienced anything quiet as luxurious as the limo. He wondered how she would react when she saw the ballroom and their hotel room. To make sure she didn't feel pressured by him he had reserved a room with two double beds.

Her eyes sparkled when she saw the grandeur of the hotel, he knew from her background report this was all brand new to her, her foster families would have never taken her to a place like this.

"What do you think Pea?"

A huge smile splayed across her lips, "It's beautiful." It was obvious she was taking in everything she was seeing from the beautifully decorated driveway and entrance to the hotel to the lobby and the roaring fire in the fireplace, her eyes missed nothing.

She had her arm wrapped in his as he guided her slowly to the ballroom so she could continue taking in everything with as he would describe childhood wonder. He smiled at the sight of the woman before him, he was ecstatic that he had chosen to ask her to come with him and given her a chance to see the world from a much different perspective. Hopefully she would enjoy the rest of the evening as well.

There were tables set up around a huge dance floor. They picked a table that was off to the side, they were joined by Ranger and Steph then later Tank and his wife Phoebe. Tank and Phoebe had been married a little over a year, he met her while he was working at Rangeman in Atlanta, she followed him back to Trenton where they later married. Tank introduced her to Staci. Those two hit it off immediately, she would end up being Staci's best friend by the night was over it seemed.

Dinner was served, filet mignon, salad, baked potatoes, the staff also served a red wine called Cabernet Sauvignon. Staci declined the wine and went with tea instead. Phoebe asked if Staci was pregnant, Staci told her no she just didn't drink alcohol. Fortunately Phoebe let it go and didn't ask anymore questions. They all made small talk while they ate and then while waiting on dessert. Ranger had requested flan for dessert. Everybody at the table was served flan, Staci asked what it was.

Lester explained, "It is a Spanish dessert that our abuela Rose would make for us. We have it every year when we come here in her honor. You will love it trust me."

She tried it and he was right, she loved it. "It is delicious, I love it."

He smiled, the more she talked the more in love with her he fell. Once dessert was done the music started. Ranger asked if they were going to go dance since everybody else at the table had stood. Staci told him she couldn't dance.

"Lucky for you, you have a very strong partner, he will teach you. Come on."

Lester stood and held out his hand. She gently placed hers in his.

"Just follow me, you will do great."

He guided her through the steps, showing her how he led and she should follow. They danced several dances before Tank took a chance on getting his toes stepped on by Staci. Lester had danced with Phoebe then disappeared once the music ended.

Staci overheard some of the guys talking about betting on when Lester would nail her and how long it would take him to run. They hadn't noticed her sitting at a nearby table letting her feet rest. Once she heard all she could take, she left the table. Ranger caught her, "I was just coming to ask you to dance."

She tried to put on a smile, but failed.

"What is wrong, what did my bonehead cousin do?"

"He didn't do anything. Ranger he has been a perfect gentleman ever since we started going out. I overheard some of the guys taking bets on us having sex and then Lester running."

Ranger's blank face slammed down, "I know he cares about you a lot. It was obvious after the first time he went to the restaurant that he liked you. I have listened to him talk, he wanted to ask you out for a while. His ex burnt him, so bear with him as he learns to let in another woman to his heart. As bad as it pains me to say it, my cousin is a good man, don't tell him I said that. I have an image to maintain. As far as the men are concerned, I will take care of it and I will let Les help me."

He stepped away from her as the music ended, he had something to take care of. "Men do you like monitor duty?" Ranger asked as he approached them.

In unison they all said, "Hell no."

"Well men, for the next six months you've got it along with some mat time between me or Santos. I will tell you now, if your mouths have cost him a relationship with a woman he has fallen hard for, it will be longer. She heard you. By the way, where is the money you collected and who is holding it."

"Ram has it," Hal quietly spoke.

"Ram, hand it over. It's now Staci's money."

Knowing it was best not to argue, Ram handed over the five grand that the men had put in the pot. Ram, Hal, Cal, Manny and Junior were losing out all the way around but none of them said a word.

Ranger counted the money, "Five grand, Staci can get a good car between that and what she has saved. Monday morning, Ram, Hal meet Lester and I on the mats oh six hundred. Cal, Manny and Junior start on the monitors, I'll let Tank know the revised schedule."

True to his word he sought out Tank and let him know what had happened along with the punishment, next he looked for Lester.

Meanwhile, Staci went to the ladies room where she leaned up against the wall in the last stall. There in the privacy of the bathroom she let the hurt out. She decided to go to room and gather her belongings, she could change clothes and leave the dress, shoes and handbag for Les. Somehow she would have to get over her fears and stay at her trailer, after tonight Rangeman would not be the same for her.

She straightened herself up and left the bathroom stall, as she was going out the door Stephanie and Phoebe were coming in. They were looking for her. "Sorry, I was going to our room for a minute," Staci mumbled.

The women stopped her, "We heard what happened, the guys sent us to find you," Steph told her.

Phoebe spoke next, "Lester is worried about you, lets get you back in shape then we will take you to him."

Luckily Staci's mascara had not run but you could tell her face was blotchy. Steph had a compact with her and lightly covered the blotchy parts of her face. Phoebe wrapped her arm around Staci's shoulders to comfort her while guiding her towards Les. When he saw her, he pulled her into his arms.

"Pea, I'm sorry they said that about you and us. They have been dealt with and will get their reprimand beginning on Monday. Ranger gave me this to give to you."

He took the five grand out of his pocket and handed it to her. She looked at it and dropped it as if it had burnt her.

"I don't want it."

"Part of the punishment was they forfeited the money, it is now yours. They willingly gave it up. They know better than to bet on people, this is not the first time they have been busted for it, they used to bet on Steph all the time. Unfortunately, I'm included in that. I was just as guilty as they are."

He bent to pick the money up. When he stood back up she asked, "Why did they say it, that shows a huge lack of respect for me, for us. I'm not sure it would be good if I work at Rangeman. I can go back to the restaurant, Darrin will take me back."

"Please don't go back there, give it a chance. You won't be dealing with them on a regular basis. It will be just in passing in the halls things like that."

For Staci however, the magic of the night was gone, the fairy tale broken. As things were winding down, Lester made an attempt to repair some of the damage the guys had created. He had asked the DJ playing the music to play several slow songs where he could hold her and just sway with the music. A hundred dollar bill convinced him.

"Dance with me Pea."

She danced with him in a way she was comfortable, he held her close afraid he was going to lose her because of his asshole coworkers.

He looked up to see that they were the only ones on the dance floor, the others were watching them. The men who earlier were making bets, realized this woman was different, she was Lester's light and he was happy. They felt ashamed of their behavior and what had been said this evening. Each man decided they needed to apologize to Staci first thing in the morning. For now, they were going to hope Lester could undo the damage they had done. Deep down they knew they got the punishment they deserved.


	7. Chapter 7

Not mine. Thank you Rainbow for reading this over. Thank you to those of you who left reviews and guest reviews.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 7

The men who had bet on Staci and Les knew they owed her an apology. Ranger had not ordered it but it needed to be done anyway.

Once everybody had returned to Rangeman the following morning, Ram, Hal, Junior, Cal and Manny called Lester's apartment.

"What do you want?" A still pissed Les asked.

Manny replied, "We would like to talk to Staci. Would you have her meet us in Conference room two?"

"We will be down there in a few minutes."

Lester hung up the phone before turning to Staci, "The guys from last night want to talk to you. It is probably an apology."

"Why would I want to hear anything they had to say?"

"Pea, I imagine they have decided this on their own. I didn't ask it of them and I doubt Ranger did either. It is just not what we usually do, my best guess it will be genuine. Please just hear them out."

They left the confines of the apartment to go to the conference room. Inside the room they found the men seated around the huge table waiting on them.

Ram spoke first, "Staci, thank you for coming and listening to us. I am sorry. I should never have said the things I did. Lester has just been a player for so long I never expected anything different from him. Last night, I watched the two of you together, I realized that you care for each other and _that_ is the most important thing. So again, I am sorry. Will you please accept my apology?"

"Thank you Ram. Yes, I accept your apology," Staci told him.

Each man took a couple moments to say that they were sorry. Hal was the last one to speak, "Staci, I should have kept my mouth shut, I hurt you and for that I apologize. I can see that Les loves you very much. Someday maybe I will find a woman to love like I see him loving you. He is a good man and deserves to be happy. If it is with you, then I am happy. Please forgive me for being an ass. I think I speak for all of us when I say this, we are glad you are at Rangeman and we will have your back."

The guys agreed with Hal that yes they had her back. Like with the others Staci accepted Hal's apology. She hoped he was sincere in his statement that they were glad she was working there. But she had something else to say to all of them as a group.

"I know that betting sometimes is something people just do I've done it, but what you did showed zero respect for me, for Lester and for the possible relationship we hope to have. Lester means the world to me and I hope we are together a long time, it almost came to an end last night. Furthermore, I came close to leaving last night and not coming to work here. Guys, I don't want to be working at a place where I am not respected. I intend on trying it for a while to see how a working relationship goes between us, I hope there is not tension between all of us. We cannot have that in an office environment and especially in the environment you all work in. Again thank you for taking the time to apologize to me, I appreciate it very much. Hopefully we can be friends once we get to know each other."

After the air was cleared they asked them to go to breakfast with them. Staci and Lester accepted. Staci felt if they got to know her they would think before they did something so juvenile again. On the way to breakfast Lester told Staci how the men including himself would bet on how long a car would last around Stephanie.

"After listening to you this morning, I need to apologize to Steph. I see that it is a huge lack of respect towards another person. In my opinion I doubt that happens again. We know what it is like to not have respect, many people don't have respect for us. It hurts."

They arrived at the restaurant. As the group made their way inside people glared at the big men and this small woman with them. The stares were enough to make Staci feel uncomfortable. She understood what Lester had meant about them not having respect shown to them. Looking back Darrin had even done it when he made a comment about having heard bad things about Rangeman. It was a shame since every man she was with currently had served in the military and from what she had learned this morning they were good guys deep down.

Breakfast was delicious. All of the men laughed and joked with Staci trying to get to know her and see what Lester saw in her. By the end of the morning, they understood and loved her too. Her kindness to each one of them showed. The most bashful one of the bunch spoke again.

"I am glad you and Lester came to breakfast with us and are allowing us to get to know you," Hal said.

"I am glad we agreed to come too. It has been a wonderful experience. I really want to get to know all of you, I also have a few single female friends that I might introduce you to down the road."

Hal blushed. The rest smiled thinking it might be nice to get to know and maybe develop a relationship with someone, after all, if Lester could why couldn't they.

After breakfast, Lester and Staci went shopping for a few supplies needed in the apartment. Daisy was shedding some and it would be nice to pick up some of the dog hair without expecting Ella to do it. While they were shopping Staci found a couple shirts that she liked, Les made mental notes to get them when she wasn't paying attention. He spotted a skirt that would match one of the shirts, he added that to the pile while she wasn't looking.

It was a new adventure for him, having someone in his life especially at Christmas. He was trying to make it a nice Christmas for her since it was their first. One thing he should do was maybe drop a few hints if he found something he wanted. But he had not found anything he needed or really wanted. If there was something he wanted or needed he got it during the year, he never waited he bought it then.

"Baby, is there anything in particular you would like for Christmas?"

"Pea, I got everything I need when I got you. If I think of anything I will let you know."

They walked around a bit longer then stopped at the books. While browsing Les mentioned he did enjoy reading and James Patterson was one of his favorite authors. Staci decided she could look through his book collection and maybe get some ideas. She in return told him she like Stephen King and Michael Connelly. He wasn't familiar with Connelly, King however he knew quiet well.

After milling about the store they went home. On the drive home, Lester opened up to her about his past and about Sherry. He finally told Staci his ex-wife's name. Staci quietly listened to his story and nodded when it was appropriate, it truly surprised her that a woman could do that to him.

She finally spoke, "Please don't take it this the wrong way, I'm glad she did. I am the benefactor of her selfishness and indiscretion. I never would have met you otherwise. Well I could have met you but the outcome would be different."

After he parked he pulled her to his chest, "You're right. Looking back now, I suffered at the time, but now I know what I want and what I don't. It also appears somebody wants me, it felt heartbreaking at the time that she didn't want me."

"Les, I enjoy being with you so much. I never expected my life to change the way it has."

Once home Les told her he would be back shortly after placing a call to Steph.

She took the opportunity to look through his book collection. Most of his books were hardback with the occasional paperback thrown in. She jotted the names of the paperbacks down and thought she might try to get some of them replaced with hardcovers. He had quite a collection so trying to write them all down would be impossible to do in a timely fashion.

While she had a few minutes she scanned Patterson's website to see about new releases. She discovered he was missing a couple new books that had been release over the last year. As far as she was concerned, she had hit pay dirt, gift ideas!

Another thing she took the opportunity to do was write down the size clothes he wore, maybe she could find a couple shirts and pants for him. She had liked Steph's idea about getting an ornament for their Christmas tree and was going to ask Steph to help her pick one out or it could be a date night for her and Les. She decided she liked that better, she and Lester could go out to dinner one night then pick out the ornament.

Eventually Les came back to the apartment. "Where did you go baby?"

"I went to see Stephanie and apologize for the betting on her."

"How did she take it?"

"She was thrilled to be getting an apology and was happy I was manning up to do it. I believe she thanks you for it."

"Les, I am glad you apologized to her, it was the right thing to do. I understood what you were talking about, I saw it at breakfast. People don't know or understand the guys either. It's sad really. They don't see you all the way Steph and I do. People are missing out on knowing good guys. I am lucky the way I see it," she told him before she raised up on her toes to gently kiss him and stroked his face.

A short time later, there was a knock at the apartment door. Staci checked the peephole and saw it was Ranger.

She opened the door, "Hi Ranger. Come in."

"I can only stay a moment, I understand the men apologized to you, is that correct?"

"They did, I was told you didn't require them to do it." He shook his head no. "I'm glad they took the initiative to apologize without being ordered. It tells me it was sincere."

"Yes it was sincere. I am glad to hear it. It still doesn't get them out of monitor duty or meeting Les or I on the mats. Les gave you the money right?" She nodded yes. "That was all I needed to know."

She thanked him for stopping by and asking about the apology. He told her he would see her tomorrow and left.

Lester and Staci spent the day decorating the Christmas tree. After the last ornament was put on the tree, Lester handed her a box.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Inside Staci found an ornament made from pewter. It was a heart, with a red ribbon, engraved on the front of the heart was _Our First Christmas Lester and Staci 2017._ He had beat her to it.

"It's beautiful. When did you get it?"

"The other day when Ranger and I met you and Steph at the mall."

She gave him a hug and a kiss then suggested they pick the perfect place for it. When it was settled, each held a side of the ribbon then slipped it over a branch. A true Hallmark moment was made as they stood arm in arm and admired the tree.

Taking a moment to reminisce, Staci thought about how she had almost turned Les down and thought it was probably best not to go out with him. She also thought about the time Steph had been with him in the car that morning and Staci knew there was no way she was good enough for a wonderful man such as Les. Oh how she had been so wrong once she learned who Steph truly was. In the short time she had been with him, she couldn't imagine her life without him. The things that ran through her mind. She thought that she might give in to him for a Christmas present, it would be something he would not be expecting that was for sure. Then she thought about the commitment she had made to herself of waiting but he was the first man she had considered making love to. She gave herself a mental pep talk to get herself under control. Cross that bridge when Christmas was closer she still had a few weeks to decide.

"What are you thinking about Pea?"

"You, me and how I had a struggle with myself about going out with you for the first time."

"I'm glad we went out. I love being with you. Being with you makes me feel complete. It is a new experience for me."

They finished up their day with a light supper and an early night. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day for Staci. Her new job started.

Monday Morning came too soon in Staci's opinion but then again, she did get to sleep in compared to her usual wake up time.

Les was up at oh five hundred, he had a meeting on the mats with either Ram or Hal. Ranger had the other one. He set the coffee to brewing before putting on his gym clothes. Staci didn't need to see what was going to happen in the gym but he wanted to give her the chance if she wanted to watch. Around five-thirty he gently knocked on her door, Daisy answered with a whine. He cracked the door and instantly had a dog nose poking out of the opening. Les called out to Staci again and she began to stir.

"Come in baby."

Les went in the room with her. God she was gorgeous even when she first woke up of the morning he thought. He told her his plans and asked her if she wanted to come with him. She declined telling him she needed to take Daisy out for her walk.

"If you get back before me, you know where I'll be," he told her before kissing her bye.

Ten minutes later he was in the gym and she was on the street with Daisy. Staci debated about going to the gym but couldn't bring herself to it, she really didn't want to see men beating the crap out of each other because of her. Not that it was her fault but she knew it involved her. She got back to Rangeman at oh six-thirty, she knew that was six-thirty AM in normal people time. Lester wasn't back yet, so she took advantage of having a shower before him.

Something she hadn't been in the habit of doing because of working at a restaurant was cook breakfast. Today, it sounded good. It was hard to tell when Les would be back and of course he could go to Biscuits n More to see Staci's replacement. She expected it to be Regina working the window, she filled in when Staci needed to go to the restroom or when she had been sick and off from work.

Thirty minutes later, Lester came in supporting the beginnings of a black eye. It hurt Staci to see him in that condition. There was no point in asking what happened, she knew. Instead she asked who he sparred with and how bad were they. He had whipped up on Ram while Ranger broke Hal's nose. Les finally admitted that Ram would be on monitor duty until his ribs healed. Ranger was in the same shape Les was in, a black eye. Steph could take care of him.

Staci got the ice pack for his eye, and kissed him on the forehead there was nothing else for her to do for him. Later she would go check on Ram and Hal but first she had a new job to start.

Steph had prepared a list of extensions for each person while sales calls were routed by a different list and procedure. For a sales call Staci was to collect the person's name, phone number and address; from there she was to email the information to Steph and which man was up next on the list. Fairly basic and simple job to do.

In a blink of an eye, it was lunchtime for Staci the morning had flown by. Les and Bobby had gone out in the field for a skip that Vinnie had bailed out. The skip had been smart enough to not fight Les on the apprehension. Today that was a good thing all he wanted to do was get this done and get back to the office to see how Staci's first day was going.

By the end of the day, Staci was stoked she loved the fast pace that calls came in and the interaction with the staff. It didn't bother her too much that Daisy was stuck in Les' office most of the day except for Staci's breaks and lunch since her desk was in the middle of the cube farm. Daisy had spent much more time than that stuck in the house when Staci worked at Biscuits n More. Les planned on changing Staci being out in the middle of the cube farm. He had room in his office for another desk and the phone could be answered anywhere, including his office.


	8. Chapter 8

Not mine. Thank you for the wonderful reviews. Rainbow, you rock.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 8

A few days had passed and time was drawing closer to Christmas. Lester's and Ranger's eyes were looking much better and Ram was slowly getting back to normal although he had not been cleared to go back to field work. Hal, well Hal still had a broken nose, it was going to take a couple weeks for it to heal maybe longer. Manny, Cal and Junior were still waiting their turns with Lester and Ranger. There had also been talk of Tank joining in since there was three guys left. The three men who still needed their asses handed to them couldn't out do the three core team men so the longer it took for it to happen, the better as far as they were concerned.

Lester had asked that Staci's desk be set up in his office since there was room, that way the little family could spend time with Daisy plus it got Staci away from the men. Ranger had granted it. Daisy approved. She spent a fair amount of time going back and forth between Les and Staci during the day mostly getting gratuitous scratches and treats.

When Les was in the office for the day, they would take Daisy on a walk around the block while they were on lunch, sometimes they would go further and make it two blocks if the temperatures weren't frigid and time permitted. All three of them starting looking forward to that time of day, a chance to be together and out of the office for a few minutes. Today, it wasn't below freeze your ass off degrees and they decided to make it two blocks. Daisy was pretty good about taking care of business so she could enjoy a brisk walk with her peeps that translated into dragging her peeps around the blocks in dog logic. While they were on their walk Staci slid her hand in the rear pocket on Les' jeans, damn what a tight ass, she thought.

Staci had been giving it some thought about finding her own place after New Year's Day, she liked being there with Les but she also liked her independence. It wasn't right she felt to be staying there for free even though Les wanted her there. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject. When she was alone she had looked online at apartments but really didn't want that for Daisy, another mobile home would give her more room but she didn't want to be back in a trailer park especially the one she came from. Her old home had been cleaned out and most of her belongings put in storage unless she needed it in the apartment, the home itself had been demolished and removed, leaving the lot available for rent again. She decided she could look for a small house or duplex to rent, that would give her a yard and the independence she craved.

"Deep thoughts Sweet Pea."

Now was the opening, "Yeah, I have been thinking about finding my own place after New Year's. It's time."

Les frowned when she said that, "Why do you want to leave me? Have I done something?"

Exactly what she didn't want him to think. "No you have not done anything wrong. Baby, this was to be temporary, it is not right for me to be invading your space and not paying anything. I know you have said it was fine, for me ... it's not. I have always made my own way in life."

"You know if you move out, you're not going alone. I will follow you, I want you with me. Always."

That made her smile. She had realized that she was head over heels for this man eons ago and it seemed like it was reciprocated. If he was going to follow her, she would still not get to pay for her own place, he wasn't the type man not to pay his own way. Slipping back into her deep thoughts, she wondered if she really _wanted_ to move out or if deep down it was other people's perception of them that made her want to move. That would be a debate in her mind for another day. For the moment she wanted to just enjoy her time with him. Once they went back in the office, she grabbed sandwiches from the kitchen for both of them along with some water to take back to their office.

A tuckered out Daisy crashed while her peeps ate lunch, you're a tired pup when you don't stay awake for lunch. As Daisy learned where her boundaries were in the office the need for the pet gate was becoming less and less, rarely did she approach the gate and if she did, she needed to go or Steph was coming. They also knew when Tank was coming, she would bark and wag her tail at him now after he won her over by sneaking her Milk Bones even though he was a cat person.

Staci had a busy day, the phones rang off the hook with sales calls. Those calls were easy, she took down the name and number then emailed them to the next person in line for a call. It rotated between ten guys on the team, the core team, then Hal, Manny, Ram, Cal, Junior and Woody. They were getting between three and four calls each per day. Rangeman was booming with business. As the calls came in, Steph started background checks to see if the caller was a client they wanted to do business with. Rangeman also kept a list available of their competitors and employees, sometimes the competitors would call trying to comparative shop, they didn't get past Staci.

After her first few weeks on board, she was called to Ranger's office by the man himself. She was trying to think if she had done something wrong. When she entered the office, she saw that Ranger, Tank, Lester, Bobby and Steph were waiting on her. She feared she was going to get fired.

"Staci please have a seat," a very serious Ranger told her.

There was no place for her to actually sit so she sat in Lester's lap. Les had no complaints about that action.

"The reason we called you in here is to discuss your job performance," Ranger went on to say.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, here she was just a few weeks into her new job and she was getting canned.

"We have discussed your performance at great lengths, all of us are in agreement, you have exceeded our expectations. It was decided a little while ago to waive your ninety day probationary period and encourage you to apply to go to college for business management and computer sciences. We want you to be able to enroll and start classes in January," Ranger told her before breaking out in one of his rare smiles.

She looked around the room misty eyed before speaking, "I'm not getting fired?"

"Sweet Pea why would you think that? You have done a great job. We are _all_ thrilled with your performance."

She smiled at her baby, "Thank you."

"Staci the sales calls are getting divided up fairly so nobody is overwhelmed with them. That is a huge plus," Bobby told her.

"I just want you to learn payroll, it has been a pain in my ass for years," came from a smiling Tank.

Steph chimed in, "With all these calls we are getting, you being able to help me with searches and background checks will be a blessing to me."

Staci began realizing that this was real and she had a permanent home, this helped her put things into perspective.

"Guys, I don't know what to say. I came in here afraid I had done something wrong and was going to get fired. This was totally unexpected. Thank you."

Lester rubbed her leg as he spoke, "Like we talked the other day, Rangeman will pick up the tab for college, we expect a three point o grade point average. Now, will you remain living in my apartment? That will give you extra time for homework if you are not having to commute back and forth to work plus clean and cook."

"Yes I will stay. I shouldn't have any problems with the average, I did well in school. Are these classes online or will I be going to a campus?"

Ranger handed her the brochure on the local community college, most of the classes were offered online and you worked at your own pace. The classes were designed for working adults who were trying to better themselves in their spare time. Exactly who and what she was. Staci's face beamed with joy, she was thrilled to have the chance to better herself.

"You might want to take your girlfriend back to the office so she can get back to work," a teasing Steph told Les.

As everybody left the offices, Stephanie remained with Ranger. "How does it feel to be putting your first employee through college," she asked.

"Pretty damn good, she deserves it."

The rest of the day breezed by for Staci, she was on cloud nine. Lester asked her if she would like to go out to dinner, naturally she said yes.

"Since I am going to be a college student does that mean I have to live on Ramen Noodles?" she joked.

"That and pizza," Les teased back. "I'm so proud of you Staci. You have no idea how happy you make me."

He pulled her in to his warm chest to hold and hug on her. She loved being in his arms. Tenderly he kissed her to convey the love he felt for her. Message received. At this moment if he asked her to jump off of a bridge, she would. She was in deep, so was Les.

Dinner was a casual affair at Shorty's. It had to be casual, it was at Shorty's, she thought. Life for her at the moment was wonderful and going well.

Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day for her as well. Ranger was giving her and Steph the afternoon off. They had decided to go shopping for some last minute gifts.

The next morning found the couple in the office working. Daisy had been out for a walk with her mom and Les had been in the gym educating Cal on the proper way of showing respect. Ranger took care of Manny and Tank showed Junior how to behave. The three students were bruised and battered but none of them were going to be off the street ... for long.

The women hit the mall for their last minute gift shopping. Staci had gotten everything she intended for Les, but she wanted to get something for Ram and Hal. They had been trying really hard to be friendly and polite to her. She had learned both liked to read. Like herself, Ram was a Stephen King fan, she found one of his latest books 'The Bazaar Stories of Bad Dreams'. Hal liked James Patterson along with Les, she opted for book nine of the Women's Murder Club since he was behind on his collection.

Steph still had her whole family to buy for, Staci helped her with the list. Since Cal was battered, Ranger sent him to help the women carry their bags. Silently he vowed to _never_ bet on these two women again, it wasn't worth it. Lesson learned. Four hours later, Cal carried what he suspected was half of Macy's to Steph's BMW. As he finished loading the car he received a call from Ranger wanting to know where they were in the mall.

Cal told him the women were at the food court, while he was taking their bags to the car. Ranger dismissed him telling Cal to take the car back to Rangeman.

Ranger closed the phone as he pulled in the parking spot just vacated by Cal. He and Lester exited the SUV and entered the mall. It didn't take them long to find the women, just like Cal had said they were in the food court. They were sharing a plate of cheese fries. Both women smiled at their men when they approached.

"Babe. That stuff will kill you."

"I'm not babe but it has all the necessary ingredients. Fat, Calories, Cholesterol, and Taste," Staci told him with a huge grin on her face.

"I second that," Steph chimed in.

Lester didn't bother with saying a word, he knew it was a lost cause to even try. At least he would have joined the women in the partaking of the greasy goodness, since he was not a sticks and twigs kind of guy.

Steph finally asked, "Why are you two here? Did something happen to Cal?"

"No, we wanted to spend time with our ladies," Les replied. "Ya know I have been standing here a few minutes now and haven't gotten a kiss or a french fry from my lady yet."

Staci smiled and made the universal finger motion of come here. He knelt down beside her. She started by giving him a kiss that made him want to curl his toes followed by a french fry. "How is that baby?"

"I will pass on any more french fries, but the kisses I will take as many of them as you want to give me."

"Anytime, all the time," as she finished speaking she gave him another kiss. By the time she was done his cargos were fitting tighter.

When the women had finished consuming their plate of cholesterol goodness, Ranger told the women they were going on a drive to look at Christmas lights in some of the high dollar neighborhoods. It could also count as a patrol through for Rangeman. The particular neighborhood they were going through had seen a spike in home invasions. Rangeman had stepped up patrols so them taking a Rangeman SUV would be best.

The ladies picked up more snacks, cookies this time, much to Ranger's chagrin before leaving. Ranger told the women it would be a good idea to make use of the facilities before leaving the mall. They had already planned on it.

The backseat of the SUV was comfortable or maybe it was because Staci was snuggled into Lester's side, either way, she liked it. The homes in the area they traveled to was in a gated community, the first thought for her was it was someone very familiar with the area. They would have to be able to get past the guards on duty at the gates to get into the homes, these guards were on duty around the clock.

"Has Rangeman checked the background on all of the guards?" she asked.

Quizzing her Lester replied, "Not all of them. Why?"

"If they are on duty around the clock and it is big ticket items being taken, you can't just throw it over the fence. Just jewelry I could see, stuff it in your pocket and go. Otherwise they have to be going past these guards."

"What else?"

"We passed a barn, is this an equestrian community?"

"Yes. Keep talking," Les advised.

"If they have bridal paths that go through the fence then there is the possibility they are using four wheelers to travel on the same trails. Has anybody mentioned tracks or hearing them?"

"No they have not. But all of that is very good. Pea you might be on to something," a proud Lester told her.

"Very observant Staci," Ranger added. "It is something we will investigate."

Both men had already thought of everything Staci mentioned, but let her talk to see how her mind was working. Ranger was pleased that she was observant while Les was proud she was his.

Staci noticed the lights were beautiful all the houses were dressed to the nines with the lights. She held Les' hand as Ranger drove through the residences. She loved looking at the lights.

"Staci, you have an assignment tomorrow. Please call the offices for the community and request a list of all the guards on staff and ask about holes in the fence for the paths. If the information you collect leads to an arrest, you will get a bonus," Ranger instructed.

"I can't take your money for doing my job."

"Sure you can, think of it like this, rewards are offered on information leading to an arrest for murder, kidnapping and so on. If you furnish the information it is the same difference."

"It is not murder or kidnapping."

"In a manner of speaking, a majority of the homes are Rangeman accounts, if word gets out that we have a problem, it will kill our business. Think of it as preventing a murder."

They left the neighborhood and slowly made their way back to Rangeman after stopping at Blue Bay Seafood restaurant for dinner. Conversations had been light but the biggest one had been about the indoor pool.

There was a floor below the holding cells and gun range not being used. The contractor was redoing some of the support beams to allow for a pool to be installed. Overall size of the pool was to be eighty-two feet or twenty-five meters by forty one feet. It was going to be half the size of an Olympic pool. All of Rangeman's staff was excited for the pool to be finished and ready for use. The goal was for the work to be completed by mid May. After it was finished they were planning on making the other half of the floor a tactical maneuvers practice area using paintball guns.

Staci wasn't sure if the guys were more excited about the pool or the paintball guns, for her it was the pool.


	9. Chapter 9

The usual disclaimer applies, not mine except for those from my brain. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Thank you also goes to Rainbow.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 9

The next morning Staci called the main office for the community they visited last night. She explained who she was and the company she represented. The receptionist she spoke with told her there were no opening in the fence for the bridle paths and was checked daily to make sure no one had cut it. The main path went around the inside perimeter of the community. The receptionist said she would email a list of employees to her. Staci thanked the lady for her time and told her she looked forward to helping resolve the problems any way she could.

Ten minutes later, Staci had her list in the promised email. Steph was in her cubical running background checks on potential new hires. Once Staci had the list of employees she called Steph to let her know it had arrived. She told Staci she would be there in a little while.

A few minutes later Steph came in the room and greeted Daisy, "Let me teach you how to look up people." Staci nodded. "First of all, type in the person's name in our personal search engine. In this case you are looking up John Fletcher."

His name, address, phone number, employment history all showed up. "Take this page minimize it. Click on police record, then minimize it too. Next up is credit history do the same. Lastly social media, this will show you Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and any place else he posts. This computer is connected to Lester's printer, just click to print. Once it prints, put it in a folder with his name on it then I will teach you what to look for. I know I told you to minimize everything, usually I look everything over before printing, but you won't have time between answering the phones and everything. Questions?"

"What if it brings up multiple people?"

"She gave you addresses and social security numbers. Use those to narrow it down."

Staci rolled her eyes, "DUH! I should have realized."

Stephanie laughed at Staci's comment before answering, "No problem. Ranger taught me the same way and I asked the exact same question. It is not in his arsenal to roll his eyes but I know he wanted to with me several times. Let me know if you have questions or problems or if Les is around he can help you."

Steph took a few minutes to scratch Daisy and watch as Staci began printing the search for John Fletcher before leaving. Between calls she briefly looked the file over trying to see if she could spot anything just on her own. His credit card balances were high she noticed, she put a post-it note on that page. The checking account he had showed a negative balance another red flag, she thought. She really couldn't get the time to look like she wanted to because of the incoming calls, but she would learn as she went to multitask.

With that file labeled and placed to the side she began the search on the next guard. Robert Hollingsworth, his file was an interesting read. He lived with John Fletcher but didn't have the money problems Fletcher had at least checking account wise. He had a couple hundred dollars in the account. His credit card balances were on the high side but not in danger of being at the limit but close. Hollingsworth's work history was fairly stable he had only been at three different jobs in his career. Staci marked the address, checking and credit card balances.

The next guard, was Toby Felty. His accounts were all in good standing, he was married with two girls ages twelve and nine. Nothing stood out to Staci about him, except he had been with the community as a guard for six months. He had no social media accounts, but then again none of the men at Rangeman used any social media outlets either. He would be a possible candidate for Rangeman she amusingly thought.

William Jenkins was next on the list. He was ex-military, Marines, had an honorable discharge and looked good on paper. Not married, plenty of money in the checking account, she found over five thousand dollars in it, a couple credit cards that were paid off each month. Jenkins also owned his own home and owed nothing on it same with his cars. Like Felty no social media accounts, but was a member of an online dating site, nice profile on the dating site Staci observed. When she made up his file, Staci put a star on the front of the folder as a possible candidate for Rangeman this time without the amusement she thought earlier.

She had six more people to look up before having them done. Those men were really unremarkable and nothing showed either positive or negatively for them. The phones had slowed down in the late afternoon, so she took the opportunity to evaluate each folder more carefully paying close attention to Fletcher and Hollingsworth.

Lester spoke breaking her concentration, "You are looking at those reports awfully hard Pea."

"I was trying to see what I could glean out of each report trying to see what I could spot just off the bat. It seems to have been successful I found a few things without being trained."

She showed him the files on the first two men she had pulled, Hollingsworth and Fletcher. He admitted they were good catches and that both men could be needing money. With Felty, he agreed that nothing really stood out and six months really meant nothing overall. Lester liked Jenkins' file and agreed that he might fit in well with Rangeman. He also mentioned they would talk to Jenkins to see what he knew about some of his co-workers. Military personnel seemed to open up more when it was another military person asking questions. Les knew he could also get a good read on him to see if he would be a good fit around the office.

At seventeen hundred hour, Staci turned the phones over to night shift, her day was done. She felt that the day had flown by with having the searches to run along with answering the phones, it was a rewarding feeling. Steph had taken the files for the ten men at the housing community to review them and look over what Staci had noticed. She came in to talk to Staci about her review of the files and to tell her she had picked out the same ones she would have and caught almost all of the red flags without being trained on what to look for.

"Once you get some college under your belt, you won't work the phone for long, you will be in research full time. You did extremely well on these background checks, be proud of yourself. Before you leave would you like to go to Ranger's office with me, you can make your presentation to him?"

Staci smiled, "I would love to go."

Steph took the files and followed Staci to Ranger's office. The door was closed. Steph stepped around Staci to open the door rather than knocking. When he saw the women he motioned for them to come in while he wrapped up his phone call. No way would he send his Babe away.

Once finished he turned to the ladies, "Whatcha got?"

Steph laid the files on his desk and told Staci the floor was hers.

"I ran the searches and had time to look them over. I found two of the men have problems, one is negative in his checking account and maxed out on his credit cards. The other one is almost as bad but not quite, they also share the same house. One would make a good addition around here, the rest were really unremarkable to sum it up. Also, if these people aren't the ones, I would ask about gardeners or landscapers that come in or if they are staffed, they could be another possibility."

Ranger thumbed through the files laying before him before speaking. The ones that had sparked the most interest he took more time with. He looked at Staci with a content and pleased look on his face.

"Staci, you did well, proud of you. They will be the first two we check out. I'm also going to look at Jenkins if he pans out you will get the customary referral fee we pay all of the men when someone is hired because they recommended them. What you have found on the two guards is probably correct, but we will keep it in mind about the gardeners or landscapers. It is a good suggestion." He had already thought about those routes but didn't want to bust her bubble. The fact she came up with those ideas was pleasing to him.

Staci beamed. She was happy she had been a help to Rangeman and Stephanie today but she knew not everyday would be this way.

Steph mentioned to him what he had told Staci earlier about moving to research after she got some college under her belt. He agreed that she could move to research and do some of the other paperwork he and Tank hated.

"Absolutely, research would be a pay raise and same hours," Ranger re-iterated and confirming what Steph had already said.

Staci bid the couple good evening before leaving the office.

"Glad you hired her?" Steph asked.

"Yep I am, not only is she good for my cousin, but it's looking like she might be really good for this company. So far she is worth her weight in gold."

The couple was glad that they had hired her without some of the rigorous background checks and assessments. Staci was content to stay in the building and didn't hold a position to cause any danger to herself or others. They had noticed the men were accepting her much like they had Steph. Ram and Hal were paying close attention to Staci especially after the betting fiasco which didn't surprise Steph or Ranger for that matter. Those two had appointed themselves Steph's bodyguards along with Hector when she first started at Rangeman. Now Hector and Ranger were her bodyguards while Ram and Hal were trying to watch over Staci.

Lester and Staci went to their apartment to prepare dinner. Baked chicken, green beans, corn and rolls were on the menu. Once the chicken was in the oven, Les took Daisy for a walk since Staci told him she could handle dinner.

While he was out, Staci called Bobby. "Staci, everything okay?" immediately in medic mode with no hello or anything, she was learning that was just Bobby's style.

"Yes everything is fine. I was wanting more information on the birth control shot we talked about."

"Like I told you the other day it is fast acting, Steph has not mentioned any side effects. Are you wanting a shot?"

"Yes."

"I can give it to you tomorrow if you like."

"I don't want Les to know until I am ready."

"It will stay between us come down tomorrow on your break. It will only take a minute to do."

"Thanks Bobby."

Staci felt that Les was going to be the one she wanted to settle down with, plus he was the first man to stir desire in her. She felt she might be going against the vow she made to herself, but she wanted protection if she decided to break it. Les had hinted around a few times about marriage and that he would consider it eventually but not immediately. Marriage was something he was going to have to warm up to after the first one ended so miserably and she completely understood.

After twenty minutes Les and Daisy came in. "How was the walk?"

"Fast, really fast. Damn it is cold out there."

He removed his jacket and gloves before taking Daisy's collar and leash off. Someone was in a playful mood, Les caught Staci's shirt and ran his cool hands under her shirt and onto her back, making her squeal. His laughter made her heart sing. She moved closer to him so she could kiss him, it quickly deepened and turned passionate. He broke the kiss.

"I need to stop before I want to do something you are not ready for."

She gave him a sheepish grin and said, "Sorry."

After tomorrow that will be rectified, she thought. She was thinking that her body could be the ultimate Christmas gift for Les, if she chose to go that route.

Dinner was good as Les would tell her later. They had been looking the brochures over for the community college Rangeman was going to pay for her to attend. The classes were all done online which was good. The business management classes were the first things she wanted to get out of the way, but after further investigation she needed to do the computer science classes first. She and Lester discussed that she would take only two classes at a time since it had been a while since she was in school and secondly she was working full time. As it turned out the college recommended only taking two classes at a time, she picked out the classes she needed to start with and registered. Staci was excited to start this new venture in her life.

Lester pulled out the Rangeman corporate card to pay for the classes. He thought it was cheap enough three hundred and fifty dollars for the two classes. There were things she would need before starting the classes, he made a note of the materials needed. He needed to have a new laptop for her to keep with her at all times, not necessarily a Rangeman issued laptop but one that was hers and hers alone. Looked like he was going shopping tomorrow for a few items. He loved the thought of spoiling her. Hector could get the anti-virus software on it along with a few other programs he saw that would be needed.

Les went to bed with a smile on his face. The woman he was falling hard for was indeed wanting to better herself, she loved him and he loved her. Life was good at the moment with Staci and Daisy, he had the start of a wonderful little family. Before going to sleep he opened his nightstand drawer to look at the ring he had picked out for Staci. It made him smile even bigger, that hopefully she would say yes when the time was right. The thought crossed his mind that maybe asking her in March then get married in September would be the way to go. As he closed his eyes for the night he smiled thinking about the woman in the other bedroom.


	10. Chapter 10

Not mine. Thank you for all the reviews. Rainbow, thank you.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 10

Christmas was only a few days away and it had been three days since Staci told Ranger and Stephanie what she had found on the security guards. Her analysis and research on the guards paid off and she was well compensated for her efforts. It was the two guards, John Fletcher and Robert Hollingsworth. Rangeman had set up surveillance on the guard shack and at the house the two men occupied.

The men had a list of residences where the home owners were out of town for the holidays. While Fletcher was working Hollingsworth would come in the development. They worked it so Hollingsworth would enter while Fletcher's partner for the night was making rounds through the sub-division. Hollingsworth would then enter the vacant home, turn off the alarm, rob it, then wait until time for the next patrol round the partner would make. It worked quite well and had been very lucrative for them except they forgot about many of the homes having Rangeman for its security needs. Rangeman wasn't the premier company for nothing.

Now with both men cooling their heels in jail, the break-ins had stopped in the sub-division. Ranger was in the process of negotiating with the management company to take over the security for the premises. He intended for Staci to receive a nice bonus for that contract too. In his mind the lady was getting ready to learn how lucrative working for Rangeman could be.

William Jenkins, or Will as he preferred to be called, had been in to fill out an application and had his initial interview. He was due to come in again tomorrow to have a physical and fire arms skill tests. While he was in for his initial interview he asked who had referred him and then got to meet Staci. He thanked her for the referral and hoped he lived up to her expectations while checking her out from top to bottom. Lester was not happy with Will's flirting, but remained quiet when Staci told him she was happy to have been able to possibly help him. She remained polite and courteous during their interaction but excused herself by telling him she was heading out to lunch with her boyfriend and then took Les by the hand effectively telling Will she wasn't interested.

The couple went to their apartment for lunch, Staci had made chicken and dumplings for dinner the night before. Leftovers for them sounded good. While the food heated, she and Les made plans for the night. They were going shopping for Ranger and Steph, neither one of them knew what to get the husband and wife. Les knew his gag gift days were over since they were going in together and Staci threatened him with bodily harm.

"Damn, no whoopee cushions?"

"Uh, no. Not if you want to live."

"We could get Steph the whoopee cushion and Ranger an over-sized Hershey bar."

"Really, you would do such thing to a woman you call a friend and partner?"

"Hum, you got a point. I could give Beautiful the Hershey bar and Ranger the whoopee cushion."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Read my lips Santos, no. And if you have anymore questions about the no, it is capital N, capital O."

"You're no fun and furthermore, I'd rather kiss your lips than read them."

She looked at him. Oh shit, the Jersey death glare, he thought. "You win. No whoopee cushion."

"How about a weekend getaway for them? Like maybe to the Pocono's for skiing?"

"Pea I like that idea. I will work on it today."

"I'm going to get Steph a gift card for Victoria Secret or maybe some lotions and body sprays. Ya know girly stuff."

When they went back to work Les looked up hotels in the Pocono's area while Staci looked up lotions and body sprays.

Les booked a room for Ranger and Stephanie for Valentine's Day weekend at The French Manor Inn and Spa. It was the Fireplace and Jacuzzi Suite with panoramic views of the Poconos. There was also a private balcony with wrought iron railing, the pictures made it look to die for. Lester could see Ranger being content in that room. Hell the man was content anywhere Beautiful was, he thought. There were several spa packages available, but he was going to let Ranger take care of those type details along with lift tickets if they went skiing.

Instead of Victoria Secret items, Staci had found a 'Couples Romantic Nights Gift Basket' complete with massage oils, candles, couples themed games and activities along with chocolates, truffles and tasty temptations on another website. It was perfect would be delivered to the office on the twenty third.

They showed each other what they had gotten. Lester got ideas for a wedding night gift for themselves. Staci thought the manor was gorgeous and would be nice to go to for a honeymoon.

"Looks like we don't have to go out after all," a very happy Staci said.

"Yes we do. Remember you and Steph are going to make Christmas dinner for all of us since Ella is going on vacation?"

"Do you know how to make flan? That was the only thing Ranger asked for. I have never made it and I know Steph can't make it."

"I know how and I will help you. Have you gotten a list together of what we need?"

She held up the list for him to look at. He noticed all the ingredients for flan were listed. One thing he added was hamburger buns, he liked the occasional ham sandwich on a bun for a snack.

Keeping with tradition the core team along with volunteers worked Christmas Day while the remainder of the staff took the day off. The ones working Christmas Day took Christmas Eve off. Since Les and Ranger were working the women would cook or rather Staci was going to cook Steph was going to help where she could both in the kitchen and help on monitors while different ones took breaks.

After work Les and Staci had dinner at Pino's then went to the grocery store. Lester pushed the buggy as Staci loaded it with everything needed. She and Les argued about her paying for the food. Les wanted to use the corporate card since it was for Rangeman staff. Staci wanted to pay for it as a gift to the men in the office since she didn't know the men that well and know what to get them as a little something. Naturally Staci won.

Ranger had brought in an extra fridge for the kitchen and a stove with a double oven for Staci to use on the fifth floor. Cal and Junior had finished installing it that morning. It put her close enough that one of the men could take things like the twenty six pound turkey or the fifteen pound ham out of the oven for her, plus she was with the rest of the 'family' on Christmas Day.

Ram met them in the garage with the serving cart to help haul all the groceries upstairs. He made the mistake of asking if they bought out the store.

"Hey I'm feeding a small army here, one I am pretty sure could take over a lesser third world nation on just the staff that will be here on Christmas. And buster, that takes in you," she turned to look at his stunned face once she finished.

That was when Ram saw a beautiful smile gracing her face. He was glad they were becoming friends, he decided then if Lester ever needed someone to watch over her when he was gone, Ram would do it. Gladly.

Once all the groceries were in the lunchroom, well now kitchen, Staci went over the items as she put them up. The menu would consist of turkey, ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, macaroni salad, homemade stuffing and rolls with flan and chocolate cake rounding out the desserts. Staci had Christmas Eve off with Les, but they were going to work on what they could ahead of time. There were a few items that tasted better if they had the chance to sit and blend over night. Macaroni salad was one, dressing was another.

The plan was on Christmas day four contract workers would come in at lunchtime to work the monitors while the staff as a group ate dinner. Steph was going to decorate Conference Room One which was the largest on Christmas Eve. When the food was ready to be served it would be taken to the room and set up. It was the only room large enough to accommodate the group and food.

The next couple days saw a flurry of activity. For Staci the arrival of Steph's gift was the highlight. Les had been downstairs when the package came in, when he came to their office he had it with him. Both of them looked the gift over to make sure it was as it was intended and in good shape after being shipped. It was better than they expected. Staci hoped Ranger and Steph would like it, Les assured her they would.

Work had slowed down as far as sales calls went. Emergency calls however had not, but those didn't go through Staci, those were caught on the monitors. On the twenty-third Staci left work at her usual time of seventeen hundred or as she preferred five PM. She had the next day off with Lester which was Christmas Eve.

Lester and Staci were to go to the Mañoso's home for Christmas Eve in Newark. That was where Lester's and Ranger's abuela Rose would be. For Staci this would be a big deal, she had not met Lester's dad or grandfather either. All Lester had told her was their names, Lucian Mateo Santos II, and Lester's grandfather, Lucian Mateo Santos I. Steph had told her to think of two older versions of Les. Oh boy!

Staci decided to work on some of the food for Christmas Day, she made some Chex mix and other snack food they guys could munch on as the day wore on. The dressing recipe she had called for sausage, she fried that and toasted the bread. While the sausage cooked she tore up the toast, thank heavens for the broiler on the oven. With those two things done she mixed them and allowed them to cool before adding more dry ingredients to the mix.

Les came in a few minutes after she had the dressing halfway done. He greeted her with a soft kiss that told her how tired he really was. He had spent the vast majority of the day chasing down a skip with Steph. But as usual Beautiful got her man as Les put it and the man was cooling his heels in a cell. Staci opened a bottle of water for him then joined him on the couch for a few minutes. She motioned for him to turn his back to her. When he did she rubbed his shoulders and arms gently caressing him as she went. His moan told her how much he was enjoying it. She spent a great deal of time on his neck it was so stiff.

"What are you so tense about? Your neck is horribly tight."

"Nothing really. It was just a long day and I was away from my girls all day."

"You're home now that is what matters and we are with you."

Lester hoped she would feel that way tomorrow when she saw her new Durango that he had bought. Well it wasn't brand new it was two years old but he picked it up at a great price. Staci had gotten so if she needed to go out she would take his car but not before asking for permission even though she had her own key for it. He didn't want her to feel as though she needed permission to take the car. If she wasn't happy with the Durango, Ranger had already agreed to buy it and put it into the fleet even though it wasn't black.

They decided on ordering out for dinner since Staci had their kitchen occupied with Christmas foods. She wanted at some point to make some cookies for the guys, she just had to get them past Ranger. Staci figured Steph would have to factor into the assist.

Staci and Lester got the kitchen cleaned up for the night and retired to the couch for a while before going to bed. Lester had taken the cushions off the back of the couch so it was deeper. He stretched out on the couch and Staci snuggled into him while they watched a Christmas movie, she picked out A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim.

"Sweet Pea, would you like an early Christmas present?"

"Sure let me go get one I have for you."

"It is not necessary." She turned to look at him. "Staci, I love you."

A smile slowly broke across her face and tears welled in her eyes, "Lester. Thank you. I love you too."

"I have been afraid to say it, but I fell in love with you the first time we went out. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. Nobody has made me as happy as you do," he told her as he caressed her arm.

If possible he pulled her tighter against his body that was where he wanted her. He showered her face with kisses and nibbled on her earlobe before stopping. When the movie was over, he slipped out from behind her sleeping form before picking her up and carrying her to his king size bed. Gently he placed her pajama covered body under the blankets before changing into lounge shorts. Tonight, he wanted to sleep spooned into the woman he loved.

Sometime during the night, Staci woke, she felt around and realized she wasn't in her bed but someone else's. She looked around to see Lester's sleeping form, she also noticed both of them were dressed in pajamas. Satisfied that everything was okay she slipped out of bed to answer nature's call, while in the bathroom she needed to decide if she was going to stay with him or go to her room. It really wasn't all of that tough of a decision, she liked where she was plus her spot in the bed was already warm.

When she slipped back in the bed, Les asked if she was okay.

"I am, but why am I in here?"

"Because I want you near me always. You're too far away in the other bedroom."

She smiled and snuggled back in her spot. He was too far away too when she was over there.

A few short hours later, it was Christmas Eve. Staci was up at the crack of dawn just to find she was in a king sized bed alone, she had the whole apartment alone. Not even a dog was to be found. She started boiling the eggs to make deviled eggs later, then prepared the green bean casserole and the sweet potato casserole those could be baked then reheated easily enough Christmas morning.

Lester and Daisy came in around eight o'clock bearing gifts of Tasty Pastry Boston Cremés.

With coffee brewing Les called Steph, "I know Ranger is on a run and we have doughnut contraband in the apartment."

"Say no more on my way."

She must have taken the stairs, in exactly one minute she was walking in the door. Lester handed her a cup of coffee with plenty of cream and sugar.

Five minutes after Steph came in the door, Ranger slammed the door open.

"Report!"

"There is nothing to report. What is your problem?"

"One of the contract workers called me to report that Steph went running down the stairs and ran into your apartment. I thought something was wrong."

"There is nothing wrong here. Just having breakfast. Want a doughnut?" a baiting Lester asked taking a bite of the forbidden item.

"Be glad it is Christmas Eve and we are both off, otherwise I'd kick your ass."

Still goading, "So I take that to be a no."

Stephanie and Staci were standing side-by-side, Ranger turned towards both ladies just in time to see them both rolling their eyes.

"The temple is not off until we get to my parent's house tonight."

The banter between the men was amusing to watch. Ranger had gotten less intense since he and Steph had been married, when he was off from work, he was relaxed and learning to chill out. Lester observed that Ranger was learning to leave work at work and he was getting more pleasant to be around.

"Since everybody is here let me ask this. Steph you are working in the conference room right? Les and Ranger, do you two have anything on the fifth floor you are going to do? If so, I will let all of you help me get these casseroles, the dressing and eggs to the kitchen on five."

Steph was the only one actually doing anything out of the other three but she and the guys helped Staci get everything to the fifth floor. Once everything was loaded in the fridge Staci wondered if the door would stay closed. Les was going to catch up on a little bit of paperwork while the casseroles baked even though they had planned on baking them in the morning. He chuckled at the thought of trying to get them in the fridge. Staci knew they wouldn't fit and began cleaning out the other fridge to make room.

Just before noon, the casseroles were done and had cooled enough to put them in the fridge. Staci spied a note on the new fridge, "Stay out or face a third world nation with a toothpick and Chapstick. Ranger." For some reason she feared he wasn't kidding.

She and Lester retreated to the apartment to open gifts before going to the Mañoso's for the evening.


	11. Chapter 11

Not mine. Thank you for the reviews. Rainbow, thanks.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 11

The couple settled in to open gifts, both hoped the other liked the biggest gifts they had for each other. Staci gave him eight boxes to open. The gifts varied from pants and shirts to a couple books that he didn't have. Much to his disappointment no whoopee cushions were among them not that he really expected it. His last present she told him to wait until later to open after they came home from the Mañoso's. Lester handed her tons of boxes of various sizes.

Her presents were all kinds of clothes including three dresses that she loved at Macy's when she and Steph were picking out clothes for the party. Steph had them laid back and returned to purchase them later for Les. The tops she had liked and skirt he had liked when they were out getting supplies for the apartment a couple books for her to have to enjoy. She hugged him when she opened the laptop. He had made a picture of them at the start of the Christmas party her wallpaper. Looking at the picture on the computer she realized they were in love then. She thought about the old adage, the eyes don't lie. Their eyes told the truth.

He handed her one last box. In it was a toy car and a set of keys. She looked at him strangely. "Let's go to the garage."

They rode the elevator to the garage level, in there sat a two year old maximum steel metallic gray Dodge Durango R/T with a huge red bow and ribbons. She pushed the button on the key that would unlock the doors and it chimed. Deep down she wanted to be mad but she couldn't instead she hopped up in it and looked around. It was beautiful with black heated leather seats that had R/T stitched in the seat back, leather wrapped steering wheel and every other option you could imagine. If she remembered right this was a top of the line model.

"Ya know I am not surprised about this. You have been itching to buy me a vehicle. I love you, I love it and it is beautiful. Let me guess this is why you were really late and it didn't involve the skip."

Lester let out the breath he had been holding in fear of her being pissed and admitted he had been at the dealership the biggest part of the time. Another, smaller part of the time he had been washing and cleaning it up after the drive on the slush covered streets. The rest of the time he had been gone he had been helping Steph with the skip for all of thirty minutes.

"Who all knows or has seen it?"

"Steph was with me and followed me home so you wouldn't be suspicious if you saw her and not me. Of course Ranger knows and then anybody watching me clean it up on the monitors. Ram and Hal helped me clean on it too. Ram installed the trackers for you. Hal installed a couple compartments in the back for when we are out in it I can store my extra guns."

"Why do I have trackers on it?"

"All of our vehicles have them. Even the Challenger has two on it. It is just a safety feature we install on them. It has saved Stephanie more than once when she has gotten into trouble. So ... you like it?"

Staci nodded in understanding before answering. "Yes, I love it!" she squealed. Looking at the SUV a little longer, she smiled and turned to give him a deep loving kiss, one to convey how she truly felt about him and what he had done for her. After she admired Lester and the SUV a few minutes longer they returned to the fifth floor to look in on Steph and the conference room. Upon their arrival, Staci told Steph all about the SUV. Steph was glad Les wasn't in the dog house with Staci over the vehicle.

"When Les showed me the SUV, I hoped you would like it. It is beautiful."

"I do. The room is so wonderful." she commented as she looked around. "I think this will be the best Christmas I have ever had," Staci admitted.

The room looked gorgeous, Steph had out done herself. The room had red, green, silver and gold streamers going across the ceiling. Banquet tables lined one wall where the food would be set up and serving would be done buffet style, table cloths used for the buffet were covered in Christmas village themes, while smaller 'village type' scenes adorned the tables throughout the room. She had even gone as far as to set up a village with a train circling it. The tree was in the corner with a hand quilted tree skirt around it, there were a few gifts around the tree one for each person working tomorrow. She and Ranger usually bought something small for each of the men who worked on Christmas Day. Steph liked to get something that usually reflected the person receiving the gifts personality. Ranger usually included a bonus check of some dollar amount for giving up their day. The bonuses were usually high enough that the ones who volunteered to work Christmas had done so for the last four years. They didn't want the others to know how much it was they got, but it was well in the four figure range for the single day.

Tank showed up at Rangeman around thirteen hundred he had spent the morning with Phoebe before taking her to the airport. She was spending Christmas Day with her parents in Atlanta and coming back home on New Years Eve as it stood. Since he was going to be alone it was decided he would go to the Mañoso's house with everybody else. It wasn't the first time he had spent the holidays with the Mañosos and probably wouldn't be the last.

Staci made a few other items for the men to have to snack on tomorrow, the biggest being cookies. She made chocolate chip cookies with Splenda rather than regular sugar, that would make Ranger happier hopefully, Steph had assured her she would handle Ranger. Ram had asked if she could make some Chex mix for them to have as well, she gladly made it along with a batch for him to have in his apartment. With the last of the baking done, Staci started getting ready to go to the Mañoso's home tonight.

She was looking forward to the visit even though she was nervous and a little scared. Steph tried to reassure her that the family would love her since Lester did. She picked out a pair of black dress slacks and a Christmas sweater with snowmen on it. On a shopping trip with Steph, Staci had gotten a pair of low heeled ankle boots, she was going to wear those.

A short time later Les came in after a run with Daisy. As he headed towards the shower, he asked her to pick out something to wear. His only requests was no black and no jeans his abuela Rose would have his hide. Staci laid out a pair of navy dress pants and a cream colored cashmere sweater. With his shower taken, he came out into his bedroom to inspect the clothes she had laid out for him, she had done well in his mind.

They all rode together since the parking situation would be atrocious, on the way they talked about what each other had gotten for Christmas. Tank asked Staci if she liked her SUV. She told him she loved it, Les had done well she added. Ranger and Steph had loved the gifts from Les and Staci.

Ranger and Steph had donated a thousand dollars in Lester, Staci and Daisy's names to the animal shelter. In addition to that Steph had gotten a heart that was cut in two pieces with two necklaces. One had on it "Two beat as Les &" the other half had "hearts ing one Staci" Together they said "Two hearts beating as one Les & Staci" The couple had already put them on and was wearing them tonight.

Ranger warned Staci about the family and the chaos that would ensue upon their arrival. Lester's dad and grandfather would be present at the party tonight. "When you meet Lester's dad and grandfather it will explain why Les is the way he is," Ranger advised her.

"Carlos that is not nice," Steph said admonishing him. "Staci they are wonderful men, handsy but at least you know Les comes by it honestly."

Staci looked at Les, he shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah they are a handful. But they will treat you with nothing but respect. They already love you."

"How can they love me when they have never met me?"

"Because you love me. That makes them happy."

When they arrived at the Mañoso family home it was packed, after parking they gathered the gifts that were to be given here and started up the sidewalk. "Tonight, Ranger is Carlos, and Tank is Pierre. We don't use our street names in the family home," Les told Staci.

She looked at Tank, "Your name is Pierre?"

Tank growled at her, "Hey I love it, down beast, I think the name suits you," she laughed. He wrapped his arm around her as they continued up the sidewalk.

"Outside of my momma, there are only four women that can call me that, until a few moments ago there were only three," he told her before placing a kiss on her forehead.

Carlos' mom met them at the door. She hugged Steph first before her son. Pierre had his cheek patted and then kissed as he entered. Lester was next, she stopped him, "You let this lovely lady in first, your Papi and Grandpapi taught you better than that. You must be Staci, I'm Carlos' mom call me Maria. I have heard so much about you."

Before Staci could reply the woman pulled Staci in for a hug, "I'm so glad you are here." As Maria released Staci she turned towards two older versions of Lester and called out, "Come here."

Lucian Mateo Santos II, and Lester's grandfather, Lucian Mateo Santos I came towards Staci, the closer they got the more she realized she was seeing what Lester would look like as he got older. Both men were handsome. Maria took over introductions. Lester held her hand and smiled his goofy lopsided smile at her before finally being able to speak, "Papi, Grandpapi this is the love of my life."

She noticed both men had the same smile as Les, she fell in love with both of these charmers as well. Lucian II spoke first, "It is wonderful to finally meet the woman who has stolen my son's heart, we have heard so much about you. Please either call me Papi or Mateo." He gently took her hand from Les' and kissed the back of it.

Lucian I then spoke, "You are more beautiful than Les described. Are you sure you want to be with a youngster like him? You could learn a lot from an old guy." Lucian then waggled his eyebrows at her and kissed the back of her hand before hugging her. When he released her he told her to call him Lucian.

Staci tried to learn everybody's names but quickly learned it was no use. She couldn't keep Carlos' sisters straight and forget the nieces and nephews. One thing she did learn that even though it was predominately Carlos' family, she was welcome and had gained a family of her own. They made her feel welcomed and wanted, finally realizing Staci was struggling to remember them, each one had given her a tip on how to remember their name.

Celia, Carlos' oldest sister told her she was the oldest of the kids, the letter 'C' was before most. Nicole told her to remember 'Naughty Nicole', Nicole expanded on that by telling her a story about how she, Carlos and Lester had gotten caught skipping school one day. Les teased her that she was naughty for skipping, the nickname stuck from then on. She was Carlos' youngest sister.

By the end of the evening she was catching on. Lucian and Mateo were sweet men, both wanted Lester to bring her around so they could get to know the woman he was going to marry. She agreed to come back soon, but was surprised about the marry part.

"Sweetheart, it is in his eyes, I had the same look when I married his mother. He looks at you with nothing but love in his eyes, it has never been there before," Mateo told her before they left.

"My grandson has made an excellent choice. If you decide you want an older man, I am available. Mateo is right, Les looks at you with pure love. We know the boy. Welcome to our family," Lucian told her then gave her a hug.

Staci was quiet on the ride home, Les was not sure if she was tired or overwhelmed, either was possible the family can be a bit over the top.

Les was right on one account, she was overwhelmed, Staci had not realized that Les was as serious as the elder Santos' made it sound, they would know, after all they knew him best. She knew he wasn't playing around but she didn't think the relationship had progressed that far.

Back at Rangeman, the couples went to their apartments while Tank went to an extra on four. There was no point in going home to an empty house, Phoebe wasn't there and chances were good, she wasn't coming back. She told him this morning she wanted a divorce, she missed Atlanta and wanted to go back. His home was Trenton, and he had no intentions of leaving. He knew it had been coming, her visits back to Atlanta were lasting longer and longer. In the short time they had been married she spent close to half of it in Georgia. He didn't think there was someone else in her life, but then again he hadn't really checked. From the time they were married he felt that neither one of them were vested in the relationship and that was sad. He knew she was a good woman, too good for him he thought. After the holidays he would tell the crew they had split, he didn't want to bring the others down at a festive season such as this.

Lester and Staci were in their apartment, she excused herself to go change into more comfortable clothes. She found Les in his bedroom sitting on his bed. "Are you ready for your last Christmas present?" she asked.

"Absolutely."

She dropped her robe to reveal a beautiful white teddy. He pulled her to him wrapping his arms around her and putting his forehead against her stomach, he knew what the last gift was, herself.

"Pea, I love the gift but ... I can't. I have grown used to the idea of waiting until we are married before I make love to you. Please lets wait."

"But I thought you wanted this?"

"Believe me, I do, but we're not married yet and I love that idea more. It will make our wedding night even more special."

"You're sure."

"Positive, please put on your flannel pjs before I can't control myself then come sleep with me."

She went to change into the other nightclothes, she was a little disappointed that she was not going to experience sex tonight, but pleased that he wanted to wait. He had the covers flipped back for her to crawl in beside him.

Instead of having a woman snuggled up to him, he had Daisy, she beat Staci. They laughed at Daisy but snuggled up to the pooch just the same. They went to sleep closer than ever before. It was just a matter of time before Lester would ask Staci to be his wife, he was thinking around Valentines Day or maybe later in March, he couldn't decide. Even though it was a bit soon, his heart knew it was right.


	12. Chapter 12

All the normal disclaimers apply. Thank you for all the reviews. Rainbow, thank you for your time and effort.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 12

Christmas morning found Staci sandwiched between Les and Daisy, a place she liked being. Les began to stir when the alarm went off. They drug themselves out of bed so Les could get ready to go to work. Staci was going to have her own work to do with some of the baking that still needed to be done. They had a quick breakfast of cereal and fruit before Les needed to leave.

"When you get to the floor, will you turn the ovens on to bake the turkey and ham? I'm going to bake the cake for Steph and I before coming up."

"I can do that and get them in the oven for you. Let me know when the cake is done and I'll come get it."

He kissed her bye before disappearing out the door of the apartment taking Daisy with him. Staci set about to bake the chocolate cake. Once the cake was done and on the counter cooling, Staci cleaned up to head upstairs for the day.

With the cake cooled, Staci iced it. "The cake is ready for pickup," she told the sexy male voice on the other end of the phone.

"Be right down."

A minute later, Les came in the apartment. "Damn, that smells good."

He pulled her in for a lip lock to end all lip locks. When he pulled back from her he waggled his eyebrows at her. "I've waited an hour and a half to do that."

"I have waited an hour and a half for you to do that too. Did you miss me that much?"

"Sure did."

"You're goofy. Let's get that upstairs. I've got other things to do."

Les carried the cake up to the conference room before returning back to monitors and relieving Steph.

Staci began working in the kitchen when Steph entered, "Do you need any help?"

"Would you peel potatoes, please?"

Steph sat the bag of potatoes on the counter and began peeling them while Staci put the pan of dressing in the oven with the turkey.

A few hours later the contract workers were in place, watching the monitors while the staff gathered in the conference room to have dinner together.

Earlier, Ranger had helped Staci make the flan, basically he watched and told her what to do. It was what he did best, tell people what to do.

Ram gave the blessing over the meal before the gang went down the buffet line to load their plates. "Everything looks great," Ram commented.

"I agree," came from Hal and Tank in unison.

Les gave Staci a kiss before commenting, "A kiss for the cook." Then he thanked Steph for helping Staci in the kitchen.

Except for Stephanie's moaning, everybody ate in relative silence. Instead of the normal hour for lunch they took a couple and visited once they had finished.

Steph and Ranger gave out their gifts and bonus checks to everybody. Staci was surprised when Ranger handed her a check for working today. "You don't owe me anything for today," she told him as she tried to hand him back his check.

"You worked, you fed us, it is what Ella usually does for us. Please accept it. The meal was excellent. You did very well on the flan."

She nodded in agreement to accept it. Staci was shocked when she saw the check was for a thousand dollars. It was more than she would make for three weeks at the restaurant when she was there. That was going in her savings account, she decided.

Staci was pleased at her savings account balance: after the bonus from Darrin, the five grand from the betting, the referral from Jenkins being hired, the reward money and now this she was going to have a nice nest egg started.

The dishes were loaded on the serving cart and taken to the penthouse. Stephanie was going to run them through the dishwasher then store them for future use. Once the contract workers had eaten, there wasn't much left in the way of leftovers. The carcass of the turkey looked like buzzards had cleaned it. There was a little bit of ham that Les snagged for later. Ranger wheeled the garbage can to the dumpster, while Ram gathered more trash up. There would probably be one more bag to go just from the normal trash accumulated on the command floor on any normal day along with wrapping paper.

Hal and Ram loved the books Staci had bought them for Christmas. They had gotten her a couple sweatshirts to have to wear in her off time. Daisy was not forgotten by them, they had bought her a couple raw hides and some squeaky toys to play with. Les had bought Tank a bottle of Scotch to restock his supply at home.

Ranger had noticed Tank was acting off today, "What is up man you act like you are down in the dumps."

"Phoebe is gone. She told me yesterday she wants a divorce. I tried to call her this morning, her phone is off."

"Do you want to transfer to the Atlanta office? Would it help?"

"No, my home is here. Her time in Atlanta has been getting longer and longer. I knew it was coming."

"Let me know what I can do."

Ranger gave Tank a manly 'bro hug' before going to his office to see what else he needed to do for the day.

At seventeen hundred a new crew of contract workers came in to work until midnight. A few of the regular staff would be in then to take over. The patrols were non-existent, they were to monitor the cameras and the core team would respond to any problems.

As Les and Staci got ready for bed, he told her it would be best if she slept in her own bed since he was on call and would not want to disturb her if he was called out. Sadly, she agreed to sleep in the other room.

She heard Les go out about one in the morning. Daisy got off the bed and went to the door to wait on him before giving up and coming back to bed. When he came home a little after three she went to check on him.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine. Ranger and I went on a call. Turned out to be a false alarm for a jewelry store. Go back to bed," he replied before giving her a gentle kiss.

Staci's next waking thought was of the alarm on her clock blaring. "Lying piece of crap clock," she grumbled before removing herself from the bed.

She changed clothes quickly so she could take Daisy on a walk before getting ready for work. Her hope had been to let Les sleep a few minutes longer before waking him since he had a long night. Those hopes were dashed when he came out of his room at the same time dressed in sweats. "Are you taking our daughter out?"

"Yep, I was going to let you sleep a few more minutes in the mean time."

He smiled, "I'll go with you since I didn't get to sleep with you last night."

Les finished 'dressing' Daisy while Staci tied her shoes and slipped her coat on. On the street it didn't take the trio long to decide Daisy needed to do her business and get back inside. "Damn it is cold out here. When she is done, we can hit the gym."

Staci replied, "C.. c.. c.. coffee, I just want coffee." Lester laughed and threw his arm around her to help keep her warmer.

Back inside they dropped Daisy in the office and went to the gym. He had Staci on the treadmill for thirty minutes before helping her with the free weights. Les was proud of the progress Staci had been making on her overall fitness, he could see some definition forming in her arms especially.

Before going back to the apartment Les went back to his office to get Daisy and check on what time he needed to be there. Staci went to grab a shower and start breakfast while he was gone.

Staci had kept breakfast simple, she made omelets and toast. She liked to have mushrooms, bacon, peppers and cheese in the eggs. Les seemed to like them that way too.

With breakfast out of the way, she finished getting ready for work while Les went back to bed for a little while. He didn't have to be in until ten hundred hours.

Daisy jumped up on the bed with him and made her nest. Looked like Staci was on her own for work. When she arrived, Steph was waiting on her in the office. "I have to go get a couple skips, would you please work on these searches.?"

"Sure, do I do them the same as the others I have done?"

"Yes, you remember how?"

She gave Steph a single nod. Deep down, Steph wanted to roll her eyes but she refrained. "Thank you. I should be back in a couple hours. Hal is going with me so take him out of the sales call rotation for now."

"Be careful," Staci told the woman who was becoming her best friend.

At nine-thirty all hell broke loose on the comm floor. There was a report of shots fired at the location of Steph's skip. Les showed up at nine-thirty one.

The skip had decided Steph wasn't a challenge for him and took a shot at her before she got across the street to his residence. Ronnie Gibson did not see Hal get out in the alley behind his house before Steph parked. All Ronnie had seen was Stephanie get out of her car and start across the street towards his sidewalk. Hal had tried the back door and found it to be unlocked, as he came in the house, Ronnie took his shot. With one swift kick, Hal took the two hundred pound skip to the ground.

Hal got the cuffs on Ronnie as Steph came in the door, "Are you hurt?"

Steph shook her head no, "He missed by a mile. My car on the other hand has a bullet hole in it. On another positive note, it didn't explode."

The words had no more left her mouth and there was an explosion. Steph hung her head, she had really liked that car. As the BMW burned, the usual cast and characters showed up. Eddie asked if she was okay and what happened. She told him she didn't know.

"Eddie, Hal and I were inside with the skip. I have no idea what happened."

Hal agreed he didn't know either, he was in the process of getting the skip to his feet when the boom rang out.

Ranger ran up to Steph to check her out for himself. He needed to see she was okay.

Big tears ran down her face as she looked at Ranger, "I really liked that car. It lasted the longest. Eighteen months has to be a record."

Ranger chuckled, "I'll get you a new one. As long as you are safe that is all that matters."

Hal escorted the skip to the truck Ram had driven. They were going to take the skip in while Steph was going to go back to the office with Ranger. The paperwork for the other skip would have to be re-issued since it was still in the car. Steph began to wonder if the other skip, Jack Cremeans had anything to do with her car since he lived two streets over. Before Ranger pulled out, she mentioned it to him.

"Can we go past Jack Cremeans? He is two streets over and he was my other one I needed to pick up."

"Do you have his paperwork?"

"No it was in the car."

"Lets go grab a cup of coffee while Connie prints off new paperwork, then we will go."

Ranger called Connie and requested the paperwork. A quick stop by Tasty Pastry for a dozen doughnuts and three cups of coffee had them set. Ranger knew Steph would need comfort food and doughnuts fit the bill.

They carried the goodies in the office where Connie sat painting her nails. Connie looked up at the steaming cups of goodness, "Bless you. I needed all of this. Lula's first two skips got away and Vinnie is going nuts. What happened to your car?"

"We don't know, nobody was around it as far as we know, but my paperwork for Jack was in the console. Ranger and I are going after him as soon as we leave here. By the way is there anything for me or Rangeman?"

Connie handed two more files to her and three to Ranger. "Now that Christmas is over, they are going back to their old ways."

Steph flipped through the two new files, both were FTA for aggravated assault. Ranger had three that were wanted for murder and worth a hundred thousand each for Rangeman. Vinnie would bail out anybody it appeared. Ranger didn't care, well he cared that these scum suckers were out there, he just didn't care about Vinnie.

They left the office and returned to Jack's home at 148 Anchor Court. Steph knocked on the door while Ranger went around the back of the house. Jack shouted through the door wanting to know who it was.

"Open the door and I'll tell you."

Jack opened the door, "I know who you are. What do you want?"

"Mr. Cremeans, I'm Stephanie Plum, I represent Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. You missed your court date."

"I'm not going, I thought I made that clear earlier with your car."

"Sorry Mr. Cremeans, but I failed to introduce you to Mr. Mañoso, my husband."

"You stupid bitch, there is nobody behind you."

"I didn't say he was behind me. He is behind you."

Ranger none to gently put the skip in cuffs before telling him he would be asking to press charges for destruction of private property. With the skip on his way to the cop shop, Steph felt a little relief that it was a skip and not a stalker, even though she hadn't had one in years.

As they drove, Ranger's phone rang. "Yo."

"Is Beautiful okay?"

"Yes she is."

"Good my girlfriend was worried about her. She wants to talk to her."

"We will be back in a few. They can talk then." Then came the customary click.

A little while later, Ranger and Steph walked into the control room. Several people called out to her with the usual names of Bomber and Bombshell.

Steph took her two new files and the three for Rangeman to Staci. She was trying to get Staci as comfortable as possible with this process. Hopefully, Staci would be able to get them enough information on the new skips. One thing Staci was about to learn, Rangeman dealt with some of the worst scum of the universe.


	13. Chapter 13

Not mine, just using them for my amusement. Thank you for the reviews. Rainbow, thank you.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 13

Several of the gang was going out for New Year's Eve. Les and Staci had been invited to go to a club for dancing. They had a private room reserved at The Up-towner Club. The club served your basic fast food type items along with any kind of alcohol you could want.

Again Ranger had rented a limo to avoid anybody having to drive after a night out. The car arrived at Rangeman at nineteen hundred to take them to the club. They had all dressed up but not like they had for the Christmas party.

Staci had been learning how to do her own make-up and had begun wearing some on a daily basis. She didn't go over the top but two good coats of mascara never hurt in her mind. In Lester's opinion, Staci didn't need make-up but he knew with the way she was dressed, it would be the finishing touch to her beauty.

Most of the guys going had dates. Ram, for now, was with a woman named Nicole. Cal and Hal had picked up twins a few nights ago and they were still around. Bobby had his own woman now, Jennifer.

Tank had planned on going with the group but canceled that morning after he was served with divorce papers a couple days before. He was not happy, the only thing Phoebe had asked for was a million dollars as part of her settlement. In his opinion she had not done anything to warrant her being entitled to that dollar amount.

His attorney and Rangeman's attorney had recommended he accept the settlement. Raymond Jackson advised him that a judge could award her more if he had to show his assets.

"Not only that, but if she was awarded alimony over the years it could cost you more if she does not remarry. It is not likely, but still a possibility if she is getting a hefty check. She could shack up with another man and let you keep them both."

Tank knew what Jackson was telling him was the truth, but he didn't have to like it. Finally he told the lawyer to make it happen. He wanted it done and over with so he could start a new chapter in his life.

After he had canceled, Staci told him if he ever needed to talk, she was there for him. She would listen to him and give him a shoulder to lean on if he needed. He realized that she was just as special to Rangeman as Steph was. The men in that office had two lights for them. Sadly, both were taken.

The club was a noisy place. Staci didn't care much for it, she preferred nice quiet evenings at home with her fella and pooch. Several of the guys were well on their way to being drunk, Les included. She didn't complain to him about it but casually got him to eat more to soak up the booze.

Staci got a chance to talk to Jennifer and Nicole. Nicole was someone she did not care for. She struck Staci as a leech. Jennifer on the other hand was sweet and very soft spoken until she got excited over something. Then she was different. Staci instantly liked her. They spent a lot of time talking about various things. It turned out Jennifer worked at St. Francis hospital. Jennifer and Bobby had met there just before Christmas when Bones was in the hospital for a concussion.

The twins Hal and Cal had came with stayed glued to them so Staci never got a chance to really talk to them. She was fine with it, she had Les and Jennifer to talk to.

At midnight, Les pulled Staci to him for a kiss. "I love you Pea. I promise someday soon, I'm going to ask you to be my wife."

Staci didn't put much stock into it being soon since she knew he wouldn't remember most of the evening. She didn't care for drinking so she had stuck with sodas for the evening. Given her family history, it was no big surprise to anyone.

On the way home in the limo, Les got a little bit too handsy in Staci's opinion. However with a simple 'No', Les stopped.

"Sorry Pea. I get a little over the top when I've had too much to drink."

For the rest of the ride he behaved himself. Staci wondered how they would be once they were in the apartment. Out of the whole group, Staci was the only sober one. Ranger was not as bad as some of the others, but still had a good buzz going.

When they arrived at Rangeman after dropping off the others dates, Staci helped Les out of the limo. While Ranger had to pick up a passed out Steph. The rest of the guys exited the car slowly. None of them were sloppy drunk but none of them needed to be driving either.

Staci was willing to bet the control room would be quiet on New Year's Day. She and Les had the day off, so they could sleep late, something she was glad for.

In the apartment, she helped Les out of his shirt and left him to remove his pants. "Hey Pea, I could give you what you wanted at Christmas," came from Les in a very slurred tone as he tried to remove his pants.

It didn't work real well for him. He needed to remember to remove his shoes first. "Good night baby," she replied as she shook her head and turned to leave the room.

"You're not staying in here tonight?"

"Nah, I think you need your space for the moment. I'll see you in the morning."

With a soft click of the door, Les found himself alone in his bedroom. Staci went to her room to snuggle up with Daisy. She had just started to drift off when she felt the bed dip behind her. A sexy man in silk boxers snuggled up to her.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"No, you weren't with me."

She smiled to herself, she hadn't wanted to leave him either.

Daisy woke her up around eight AM wanting to go out. Staci quietly slipped out of bed and dressed quickly, leaving Les softly snoring in her bed. She and Daisy hit the streets for Daisy to do her business. It didn't take long, by eight-thirty they were back in the apartment. Les was still asleep.

It had been Staci's plan to let Les sleep as long as necessary since she knew what condition he would be in when he woke. In the medicine cabinet she found Tylenol. She retrieved a couple of those and a glass of water before sitting them beside the bed for him.

Staci went to exercise in the gym for a little while since she hadn't gotten enough of a walk in with Daisy this morning because it was snowing outside. As she walked on the treadmill she thought about starting college in a few days. She wondered how she would do and what kind of student she would make.

"Deep thoughts," came from the man getting on the treadmill beside her.

"Yeah, I was thinking about starting school in a few days and wondering what kind of student I will make after being out of school a few years."

"I wouldn't have offered to pay if I didn't know you could do it. You have the support of every man and woman in this building. If there is something you don't understand, ask one of us, maybe we can help."

"The computers will be my weakest point. I've used them, but not on a business basis until I came here, it had just been to check email and surf the web."

"I'm sure Hector will be able to help you if you find yourself in trouble. He doesn't speak English but he helps Steph and they communicate somehow."

"Thank you," Staci replied as she watched Ranger step up his pace effectively ending their conversation.

When Staci returned to the apartment, she heard the shower running. She peeked into her bedroom and noticed the Tylenol and water was missing. Maybe with the shower in addition he might feel better. She returned to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast for them.

Les appeared a few minutes later, looking a little better than she had expected. She gently placed a kiss on his cheek before speaking, "Good morning baby."

"There is nothing good about it at the moment except for you being here."

When he finished speaking he pulled her into his chest and held her for a few minutes breathing in her scent. He wanted her so bad but was trying to respect her commitment to herself and future husband. Deciding he needed to plan the perfect scenario to ask her to marry him, he thought about when and where he would ask her. He had finally decided when he wanted to ask Staci to marry him, on Valentine's Day, but where he didn't know yet, maybe he would talk to Stephanie about it.

Les had the day off, but all of the group from the night before had to work that evening including Les. They needed to have not been drinking within eight hours prior to their shifts. While they could have gone in at noon, none of them really wanted to go to work that early in the day. Staci and Steph were the lucky ones, they were exempt.

They had decided to chill out in the apartment today rather than going out to do anything. After breakfast, Staci went to shower. While she was in the shower Les took the time to get online and look up romantic ways to propose.

Les was not happy with what he found online. He learned it was 'corny' to propose on Valentine's Day, but the site did give some suggestions on romantic ways to ask that special someone to be yours. The suggestion he liked the most was go back to the place where you had your first date. He could take her to Smokey Joe's even though it was not really romantic, so maybe not. Another suggestion had been to go back to where you two first met ... he marked that one off too. The one suggestion he settled on was to cook a romantic candle lit dinner.

Since he didn't want to be 'corny' he decided on picking a different day. The site suggested to pick a date of significance. He would have to think on that. Not wanting to wait until her birthday in June, he needed to come up with something else. It dawned on him what date to use. March eighteenth six months after the first time they met. Their first encounter had occurred at Biscuits and More drive-thru on September eighteenth. She would finish her first two computer classes in school on March eighteenth. Les was glad she was starting with the computer classes since they were the shortest of all, but then again all these classes were short because of the student working at their own pace. His only idea was to wait until she graduated from school, but that was going to be a while down the road. In the meantime he had plenty of ideas to consider.

He cleared the search history on the computer's browser when he heard the shower kick off. No way was he going to let the cat out of the bag on what he was planning. Luckily he still had plenty of time to employee Steph's help on finding out Staci's all time favorite meal.

Les and Staci had dressed in lounge pants and t-shirts since neither was going out today, until time for Les to go to work or to take Daisy out for a potty break and maybe grab some dinner later. In the meantime, they curled up together on the couch to watch some football. College bowl games were on and there were several games to choose from, they finally settled on the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona where Notre Dame and Ohio State were playing.

The game played in the background as they talked about Staci starting school on Tuesday.

"How are you feeling about starting school? Excited I hope."

"I'm excited and scared too."

"Don't be you will do fine, I'm sure."

"It has just been a while since I was in school. Ranger quizzed me on it earlier. He said I have the support of everybody in Rangeman and if I have any problems ask someone for help. Hector would be able to help me with any computer questions I have."

"Hec is good with computers, but he doesn't speak English."

"Ranger said Hector and Steph manage to communicate. So I don't know."

He pulled her into his lap, "Pea, I have faith in you. You will do awesome." Les looked her squarely in her eyes before speaking again. "You make it through this first round of classes and I'll have a surprise for you, a big surprise."

"Do I get a hint for incentive?"

"Nope, no clues. But, I assure you, you will love it. When are you planning on doing your school work?"

"Ya know, a clue would be incentive too. My plan is between calls and of the evening or at least I hope to."

"If you start to struggle getting it all done, tell me or Ranger. We will modify your schedule to get you the time you need."

All to soon, it was time for Les to go to work. Staci took Daisy out for a walk, silently she prayed Daisy would be quick since it was still snowing outside. She wasn't. Forty-five minutes later, a very frozen Staci and wet Daisy emerged on the fifth floor. Les was warm and dry in his office while working on paperwork that needed his attention from the staff under him.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Staci shot a glaring look at Daisy before replying, "Someone wanted to take her time and look for that 'ideal spot'."

Les was smart and suppressed the grin and laughter that wanted to emerge. "Pea, you should have called me. I would have taken her out for you." Translation, not for a million bucks would I have gone out in this.

"It is nasty out there. We are not going on patrols and only going out if there is an emergency." Translation or the truth which ever you preferred, you could not pry my ass out of this building for anything.

"Next time she needs to go, take her in the garage area, there is a patch of grass that never gets covered by snow cause of the way the building is near the other building." Translation, then and only then will I take her out for you.

"Let's get you to the apartment, I'll dry her off while you get your clothes changed." Translation, let me get you off the floor before someone gives me shit about you being froze.

"Thank you baby, I appreciate the help." Staci's translation, it would have been great if you had taken her out to start with, but she is my dog and I will care for her.

They held hands as they walked downstairs to the apartment, both thankful that neither had to be out again in this weather. The only remaining question, would Daisy let them stay in.

Probably not.


	14. Chapter 14

All the usual disclaimer apply. Thank you for the reviews. Thanks Rainbow for your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 14

Staci logged in her computer on the first day of class. Her assignment for this class was simple. Write a three hundred word essay telling the instructor about herself. It didn't take long for her to write what she wanted the instructor to know, her problem came when she needed to send it as a document and getting the formatting correct. Les unfortunately wasn't in the building, but Stephanie was.

"Steph, I need help. I don't know how to format this."

Steph came over to look at the document. After a couple moments, "I think you need to see Hector. You don't have the system the instructor wants you to use. He'll be able to load it for you."

They forwarded the phones to front desk and gave Woody a heads up before going to see Hector.

Upon arriving on the second floor, Steph whispered in his ear.

"Si, you can tell her."

Staci's eyes widened, "I didn't think you could speak English."

Hector put his finger to his lips, "Sshhh. It is a secret."

She smiled and replied, "I heard nothing, you're safe with me."

Staci went on to show him what her assignment was and how it was to be formatted. He loaded the program she needed on her laptop then told her if anything else like that came up, come see him. She listened to him as he quickly taught her how to do what was asked.

Before they left Hector the ladies gave him a kiss on the cheek along with a big thank you. Hector smiled at Staci, "Let me know anytime you need help."

Stephanie and Staci went back to Lester's office. Staci formatted the document the way the teacher wanted and the way Hector had showed her before she and Steph left his domain. Looking back she thought she should have sent it when she was still with Hector in case she had problems, luckily she didn't. With the assignment sent, Staci took the phones back from Woody. Rather than going back out in the cube farm, Steph worked on searches at Les' desk on her laptop.

Around fifteen hundred, Les returned from the sales call he had been on with Ram. It had been a good lead and netted Rangeman a cool two thousand a month for security on a home and a couple businesses the client owned. When he walked in the office, he had the books she needed for the classes Staci started.

She smiled at him, "I have already sent in my first assignment."

"Did you have any problems?"

"Yeah, but I got it taken care of."

"That is wonderful. You're doing great kiddo. What else do you have to work on today?" He asked before taking her ability to answer him away in a searing kiss.

"I start classes on skills to manage files along with hardware and software technology. Which means I need this book right here," she replied once she had the ability to form coherent sentences. She pulled the appropriate book out of the stack he had just deposited on her desk.

Breaking the silence in the room, Les spoke, "We have a skip to pick up this evening, I'll be a little late coming home. I can bring home dinner if you would like to study while I'm gone."

"Sounds wonderful. I'd like to be able to work on this a couple hours anyway."

Staci spent the next couple hours at work answering the phones while Les finished the paperwork associated with the new contract he and Ram had gotten.

Les could see the need for an actual sales department coming soon with the amount of clients they were gaining daily. He had been giving it some thought for a few days on where the department could be located in the building. The first floor had mostly storage and a couple conference rooms if Rangeman didn't want whoever was coming in the building to get past the first floor, which they didn't. The storage area was the most logical place to convert and set up the sales department. He made a note to bring it up in the next core team meeting.

In the meantime, he could look at what was actually stored in the big area. He thought it was clothes and furniture. Each person had a small area to store things that wouldn't fit into their apartment, not everybody used it in fact very few used it anymore. There were ten apartments on the forth floor and twelve total for the entire building not counting Luis and Ella's sixth floor since it was most of the entire floor. Luis had built an area for storing building maintenance items that could be left alone.

At seventeen hundred Staci turned the phones over to the night crew. She told Les she was going to carry the books to the apartment and would be back for Daisy in a few minutes. When she came back, Staci took Daisy on a long walk to clear her head from work and get some much needed exercise plus just unwind a little. Daisy enjoyed the cold weather, Staci did not. After a forty minute walk they returned to Rangeman and the comfort of the apartment, Daisy was a happy girl. Even though she had relaxed a little, Staci was an icicle.

Staci fed an anxious Daisy, who immediately started scooting the bowl across the floor while scarfing her grub. As Daisy enthusiastically ate her kibble, Staci opened her laptop and necessary study materials to get to work on her next assignment. Her goal had been to get through the computer courses quickly or at least the easy ones.

As she worked she noticed most of the material she had a basic grasp on from the start. She just hadn't known the technical terms for what she was using, with any luck she could get through a lot of the classes quickly. Daisy had excellent timing for demanding attention, she interrupted Staci just as she was finishing up for the evening.

It was later than she realized. Les had told her he should be home by nineteen hundred, but it was close to twenty-one hundred. Staci put Daisy's collar and leash on before leaving the apartment and going to the fifth floor to see if they knew where Lester and the crew were.

Junior replied to her question, "They are on their way back. The skip wasn't where he was supposed to be and they had to look for him. Don't worry."

She gave him a sheepish grin, "Sorry, but I was worried big time."

"That is not a problem. Steph still does it and look how long her and Ranger have been together."

"Thank you. I'll get out of the way and go back to the apartment." Junior nodded his reply as Staci turned to leave.

A few minutes later, the phone to the apartment rang.

"Hey Pea, I wanted to let you know we are back in the building. I have to do some paperwork before I come down. Would you like to join me in my office for a while?"

"Sure we will be up in a few."

Staci disconnected the phone call and grabbed a book. She greeted Les with a kiss of relief and love while Daisy made a nest in their office. Staci closed the book a few minutes later and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you done studying for the night?"

"I am. I made it to the first test and it is not available until tomorrow. Most of the information I already knew, just not the correct terms for some of it."

"I knew you would do great Pea."

Later on after taking Daisy on another quick walk they returned to the apartment for the night. Both were happy they had paperwork and schoolwork done for the day.

Over the span of the next few days, the couple would learn the amount of time Staci would have to devote to studies for the courses she was taking. Most of the schoolwork would be easy for her. A couple of times she would have to venture to the second floor to see Hector to ask a couple questions for clarification. Both times however, she would be correct in her understanding of the material.

Les had taken on more responsibility of Daisy to help Staci out. He had also adjusted his schedule to allow Staci a couple hours alone of the evening to do her schoolwork after she was finished at Rangeman for the day.

Since the classes were 'work at your own pace' Staci wanted to achieve having everything for the week done by Thursday so she didn't spend all of their time off working on her studies. So far so good she thought.

During the extreme cold months, Les told Staci the skip rate would be higher. "Some of the skips are homeless, they will skip on purpose to have a warm place to sleep a few nights once we picked them up. Most are harmless so don't worry."

"Sorry but I do worry about you. You've been becoming my rock kind of."

"They will slow back down in the spring, pick up in the summer because of the heat. It is a seasonal thing it seems."

"Sorry but my job also includes worrying about you."

Les smiled at her before pulling her in his lap. "I must admit as a female and my domestic partner you are doing a fantastic job. I'm glad someone is worrying about me, it has been a while." He ended his statement with a long, passionate kiss that made her toes curl.

"Lets go to bed. I want to get up early enough to take my test before I have to go to work."

After each had performed their bathroom rituals they met at Lester's bed to snuggle with a dog … in between them.

The following morning, Staci was up and ready to take her test. It wasn't going to be available until eight o'clock, as she conveyed to Ranger who told her to take it before taking the phones over from Woody.

As soon as she was finished she received her test results back. Out of a hundred questions, she got ninety-nine correct. She needed, no she wanted to share the results with someone. Without hesitation she dialed the speed number assigned to Les, he answered on the first ring.

"I got a ninety-nine on my test!" She exclaimed in the phone.

"That is wonderful Pea!" Les replied with equal enthusiasm. "I knew you had it in you. I am proud of you." She could hear Les talking to someone else. "Ranger said he is proud of you too."

"Thank you guys, I gotta get the phones from Woody. I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you in a bit," and he was gone.

Staci called Woody to let him know she was taking the phones over. "How did you do on your test?" He asked.

"Ninety-nine out of a hundred."

"Great job. The phones are all yours."

Ram stopped by Staci and Les' office to ask about her test. He gave her a high five when he heard. "That is wonderful Staci. Be proud of yourself, I knew you could do it." Before he left Les and Staci's office he gave Staci a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

It looked like it was going to be a great day.

Just before lunch time, Les and Ranger arrived back at the office. Ranger's extension showed on the caller id on Staci's phone. "Turn the phones over to Woody. We are going to lunch. My wife and Les are included. Meet in the garage in five." As customary the line went dead.

Staci placed a quick call to Woody who was back on monitors after going out to chase a skip, "The phones are yours for a bit."

"Copy that. The boss has already told me. Get your butt to the garage."

She heard Woody chuckling as he hung up the phones. Staci liked Woody and most of the other guys, but outside of Les and Ranger, Ram was her favorite.

After Steph's history with Morelli, she and Ranger tried to avoid Pino's, so it surprised Staci when they pulled in on the lot. "Pino's really?" She said to no one in particular.

"Joe is working undercover so he is gone," Steph replied. "If he was in town, there is no way I would go in there."

Pino's was fairly crowded but as luck would have it there was a table in the back corner. Perfect for them, the guys could watch over the women.

Ranger broke the silence first, "I know it has only been few days, but how are you liking school so far?"

"I like it up to this point. There have been a couple things I didn't understand, but after a short visit with Hector I'm doing better. One program I didn't have so he loaded it for me."

"Is my knucklehead cousin helping you?"

"Les has been great. While he hasn't helped with schoolwork itself, he has helped with other things like doing some of the cooking."

"Let me know if he doesn't, I'll clean his clock."

Staci gave him a smile and nodded her head before looking at Les, "You heard that mister, clean your clock."

"He would do that regardless, Ranger doesn't need an excuse."

Their conversation and banter stopped when the food arrived. Les and Staci were splitting a medium pizza, Steph had opted for a meatball sub, while Ranger had an exciting salad in Steph's mind anyway.

Who goes to a pizza shop and eats salad, she wondered. She knew the answer, on rare occasions Ranger would eat a slice of pizza or steal a meatball off of her sub. Over the years she learned Ranger wasn't perfect, but she loved him salads and all.

"I eat salads and I love you too." Ranger was grinning like a fool in love. "Yes out loud."

Staci noticed Steph was blushing, she bet it was all the way to her toes. Everybody had told Staci that Ranger didn't smile, laugh or joke, apparently they were wrong. She had seen him do that all the time, most of the time however it was when Steph was around. Maybe Steph was the key, when she first started working at Rangeman, the guys didn't smile unless Steph was near them. Now however it was when she was around too, Ram and Hal especially. She didn't know if it bothered Les, hopefully it didn't.

As they were returning from lunch, the alarms were going off at the bond's office where Steph sometimes still worked. Vinnie's as Staci learned. Ranger and Steph had bought Vinnie out a few years ago when he decided he didn't want to be under Harry the Hammer's control any longer.

The alarm had been set off by Connie after a client failed to be recovered in the allotted time and the property was being seized as a forfeiture. The home owner was upset that his son was missing and threatening Connie.

Ranger diverted from going back to Rangeman to go to the bonds office several of the Rangeman crew arrived at the bonds office at the same time. The man in the office tried explaining his son had been missing for a month, but the waving gun had the crew's attention more. Finally Ranger spoke, "Sir, you need to lower the gun first then we will talk. I own the bond's office."

The man looked at the gun like it was a snake before dropping it. He followed it to the ground as he broke down in tears. Steph knelt beside him, "What is your name sir?"

"John Campbell. My son please help find him so I don't lose my home."

Steph kicked Mr. Campbell's gun toward Ranger. "Lets sit on the couch and tell me your story. Why was he arrested in the first place?"

"He was transporting drugs in a car. The cars weren't ours but sometimes he was hired to drive a car from Trenton to Newark, trade cars and drive back. He was told the cars were transporting parts to repair other cars. He never looked to verify that was what was in the trunk. Three days before he was due in court, he got a call. Jeff never said what the call was about. I suspected they either wanted him to make another run or they threatened him. That night he disappeared. He left my house to go to his apartment and that was it, I haven't seen him since. Next thing, I'm getting a foreclosure letter stating they are taking my home. I can't lose my home it is the only thing I have."

Steph knew something wasn't right, but it wasn't the man, he was telling the truth, her spidey senses weren't tingling from him. She knew deep down something had happened to his son. "When are they telling you that they are taking possession of the house?"

"Thirty days."

During Steph's interaction with the man Staci quietly watched. She had been shaken when she saw the gun, afraid one of the men or Steph would get shot. But the way Steph calmed the man surprised her.

Staci watched as Steph gently asked the elderly man for his number and reassured him, "Let me see what I can do in the meantime. Please give me your phone number."

Mr. Campbell gave Steph his phone number, "Please find my son. Even if he has to go to jail, I just want to know he is safe."

The safety of his son was making Steph's spidey senses tingle. She feared it wasn't going to be a happy ending for Jeff Campbell. "We will do our best."

Ranger wasn't going to press charges against the old man and let him go as long as the man surrendered his gun. Mr. Campbell let the gun go willingly and quietly left after getting more reassurance from Steph.

As soon as he was gone, Steph looked at Ranger, "His son is dead."

"I felt it too. Lets check the morgue first. I really don't want to take the man's house."

Feeling more at ease Staci spoke, "What happens now?"

"Typically we would move forward on the foreclosure, but after observing Mr. Campbell, I believe there is a genuine concern. The man isn't hiding his son. The man is truly missing. What did you glean from listening?" Ranger replied.

Staci thought for a few minutes, she caught Ranger glancing at her in the mirror, "I felt sorry for him after I got over my initial concern. He doesn't know where his son is, it has him scared. When we get back to the office, Steph could run a search on Jeff Campbell and see if there has been any activity on his credit cards, if his rent is paid since he has been gone a month. Then go from there."

"Good answer, but I'm going to let Woody keep up with the phones and I want you to run that search. Then you can report to me what you find," Ranger ordered.

"Copy that."

Steph rolled her eyes. Ugh! She has been trained by the second best … Les, she thought.


	15. Chapter 15

Not mine. Thank you for the reviews. Rainbow, thanks for editing this.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 15

Staci had run the report requested by Ranger. Her head was in a bit of a fog after all she had done and witnessed that day, but she read the report several times, highlighting as she went. She placed a call to the apartment building owner to see about the status of Jeff Campbell's rent. Turned out he was in arrears by one month, exactly the same amount of time he had been gone. Next she looked over bank statements, very little money in the account and no activity there either. Same with the two credit cards he had. It was like Jeff Campbell had dropped off the face of the earth.

Once she was satisfied with her work she took the report to Ranger. She let out the breath she had been holding and knocked on the door even though it was open. He looked up at her and smiled.

"What did you find?"

"Jeff Campbell has basically dropped off the face of the earth. No bank activity, behind by one month on his rent and no credit card charges or payments plus he is behind one month on utilities too. The night he left his dad's, it is like he went into an abyss afterwards. Gone." Ranger took the copy of the reports she ran and looked them over. "I checked the local hospitals and the ones in Newark. There are no men in his age bracket in the hospital listed as John Doe, but there is one man in the morgue at Saint Francis who meets most of the criteria."

Ranger ran his hands down his face, "Thank you. Excellent job. You went above and beyond what I expected. I'll go to the morgue and check it out."

"May I go with you?" Staci timidly asked.

"You can, are you sure you want to go? It is hard to say what kind of condition the body will be in."

"I'm trying to learn all the workings of Rangeman. Just so I know how things work."

"Sure, you can go. If it is him, you can learn about how we handle that side of bail collection."

"If it is him, what happens to Mr. Campbell's house?"

"He will get to keep it. What has you so curious about it now?"

She shrugged her shoulders before replying, "After watching you and Steph today, I'm curious. I'm not planning on a take over of Rangeman that is for sure."

"We will go in the morning. What about your classes?"

"Caught up and in excellent shape."

"Good, see you in the morning," Ranger replied effectively dismissing Staci.

Staci returned to the office she shared with Les and Daisy, both were waiting on her. "Where have you been Pea?"

"I took the report to Ranger. He and I are going to the morgue in the morning to see if a John Doe is actually Jeff Campbell."

"Are you sure about going?"

Staci went on to explain to him the exact same thing she had said to Ranger less than an hour ago.

"I'm glad you want to learn the inner workings of Rangeman. If I ever decide to take my own branch you can be my secretary, I'll chase you around the office and sexually harass you," for good measure Les added an eyebrow waggle that made Staci giggle.

After she giggled Staci added in perfect Jersey girl fashion an eye roll. "Who's to say I wouldn't harass you?"

Les smiled at her comment, "I would love it if you would."

Staci playfully smacked him on the arm, "Pervert."

"But I am your pervert and you love me. You wouldn't have me any other way," as soon as he finished he pulled her to him and kissed her preventing her from making any further comments. "Lets go to the apartment," he suggested once he finished kissing the hell out of her.

The following morning, Les and Staci took Daisy out for a walk. After Staci had walked a couple miles, she returned to the building while Les and Daisy went for a run. Daisy enjoyed the runs with Les and most of the time drug him as they went.

As of late, the morning meeting began at oh eight hundred, this morning Ranger asked for Staci to be in attendance. All of the chairs were taken and men were standing around the back of the room, in order for Steph or Staci to have a seat their men would have to vacate their seat or have the women in their laps. Neither man was stupid, Les pulled Staci down in his lap and whispered to her before placing several small kisses on her neck, "Okay secretary you will have to take notes for me."

Ranger had done the same with Steph and she sat comfortably in his lap after driving him up the wall by squirming around, luckily for him, Tank was in charge of the meeting this morning.

Staci was glad to sit in on a morning meeting, another facet of Rangeman she was getting to learn. She understood why Steph would come in the office with doodle marks on her papers. Mostly they went over what happened the day before and what was planned for the day. Lastly in the meeting was who was working with who on the day.

"Before we adjourn for the day, we need to congratulate Staci on a job well done. She got an 'A' on her first test," Tank announced.

The guys whistled and shouted congrats to her. Staci blushed to her toes. Once the meeting was over and everybody had filed out except for the two couples Staci and Les, then Ranger and Stephanie.

Steph was the first one to speak, "Hopefully Tank didn't embarrass you. We are a family, and you are part of it."

"I'm glad to be part of this family, besides he didn't embarrass me too much. The support I've received has been wonderful. There is a feeling of family here that makes me happy."

"Staci we will meet in the garage in fifteen. Woody knows he has the phones already so grab your gear and we will leave," Ranger told them as Staci and Les were leaving the room, Ranger turned to Steph. "I glad she wants to learn everything."

"Then tell her. She is awesome. I really like her plus Les is head over heels about her," Steph told him before shutting the office door behind them. "I just wonder when he will pop the question?"

"I'd suspect soon probably in a couple months. He finally got her to stop talking about moving out and then helped her with a vehicle. To me that says he is really serious."

Les guided Staci back to their office and quietly closed their door. He pulled Staci into a searing kiss, "I am so proud of how you are wanting to learn. You're amazing. What are you wanting to take with you?"

"Just my purse."

Les thought for a moment about how things should go and agreed, "For this you probably won't need anything else. It is pretty straight forward. If it is Campbell you will get some paperwork from the medical examiner, take it to the courthouse and back to the bonds office."

"Alright, I need to get to the garage." She kissed Les again before leaving the office.

Ranger was waiting on her in the garage, "You're late."

Throwing her hand on her hip and laughing as she asked, "According to who?"

"Your boss," he replied while smiling at her.

She took in his appearance, when he smiles he is quite gorgeous, she thought. "Sorry Les was telling me a little about what to expect at the coroner's office and where we may have to visit today."

"How did he describe it to you?"

Staci told him what Les had said, she finished by saying, "I presume all of that is correct."

"It is. Depending on how quickly Connie works and how quickly the police department makes a notification, we may be able to take the paperwork to the elder Mr. Campbell so he has some comfort." Staci sat quietly after that, Ranger could tell there was something else on her mind. "I can see gears grinding, what is on your mind?"

"Yeah there is, but I don't know if it is my place to mention it."

"Tell me and maybe I can help."

"Les said something about maybe getting his own branch of Rangeman someday."

"He is more than qualified for it. Is there a problem with him getting one?"

"Yes and no. I don't have any friends except for Steph. If we go to a different branch then it would be just Les and I. I'm not sure how to deal with that, but I wouldn't want Les to not take a position just because I have that problem."

"You would still see Steph a lot. I travel to the different branches all the time, she goes too. Plus you and Les would travel here a lot too. She would also be available by phone anytime not to mention Skype." She gave him a halfhearted smile before he continued, "Right now there is nothing to worry about. I'm not planning on any new branches for a while. Keep this in mind to, most of the time when I open a new branch, staff from the other offices have the opportunity to transfer. Potentially there could be a couple of the other guys to go from here as well."

"Thanks for listening to me. Please don't say anything to Les. I don't want him to think I came running to you over this."

"You are one of my employees and you have a concern, that is fine. I will keep it to myself Les doesn't need to know. Just remember this, before you came here you didn't know any of us and Les was someone you dealt with at a drive-thru window." As they pulled into the parking lot at the coroner's office he concluded his statement, "You have a wonderful personality that draws people to you much like Stephanie does. If he got his own branch, you would have the men there wrapped around your finger just like you have in our office now. You and Steph can get these men to do anything you ask and all you do is bat your eyes."

Staci smiled at him, "Thank you."

Ranger carried the file for Jeff Campbell into the morgue with him. The attendant took the picture and opened the drawer the John Doe was stored in. He looked between the picture and the corpse before calling Ranger and Staci over.

"You can look for yourself, but it appears to be your man."

Ranger learned that Staci could be even more like Steph when she cried at the sight of the man on the stainless steel table. Under Ranger's guidance Staci gathered the necessary paperwork indicating that the younger Mr. Campbell was at the morgue before going through the other steps. They finished at the courthouse and returned to the bonds office.

When they arrived at the bonds office, Connie was at her desk. Ranger explained what happened to Jeff Campbell then went on to tell her, "We need to release the elder Mr. Campbell home back to him. Just transfer our ten percent of the bail to the office account."

Once Ranger and Staci were back in the car Staci asked, "What is the ten percent about?"

"When someone has to pick up a skip or FTA, failure to appear, they get ten percent of the total bond. In this case Jeff, had a hundred thousand dollar bond. Whoever the agent was that captured him would get ten percent for their work in locating and apprehending the person who skipped. In this case, we were issued a receipt of where he was located. Everything is released because a dead person doesn't go to court. We still get paid because we did our job and located the person, in this situation we get ten thousand dollars. I don't usually take the ten percent and just reinvest it in Rangeman. Does that make sense to you?"

"I think so, let me explain it back the way I understood and you tell me if I have it. Lets say Ram goes after a skip that has a fifty thousand dollar bond, he captures the guy and takes him to the station. Ram would get five thousand dollars for his work and the criminal goes back in the system. I presume if there are two people involved with the capture they split the money."

"You got it. If there were say Ram and Les, each would get twenty-five hundred. Sometimes the bonds office will re-bond them but it depends on each individuals situation. Lets get back to Rangeman, you've got phones to answer."

Staci sat there thinking about Les and the different times he said he could afford something. Now she understood how he could afford different things and why he liked going after skips but she still didn't like it. Since they had been together he had gone after several high dollar skips all had made her nervous even though it seemed he was back super fast except on the one a few weeks ago.

Les had brought her school books to the office so if she got the time to work on it she could between calls. As she walked through the door to the room she shared with Les and Daisy, a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist, "I've missed you Pea."

"I haven't been gone that long, but I missed you too," she tried to reply as a pair of lips met hers in a very welcoming kiss.

"Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah I did. I'd like to go when you are picking up a skip just to see how it is done."

"Pea before I'd let you do that, you would have to learn to carry and use a gun. I want you to be able to protect yourself in the event something went wrong. Do you want to do that?"

"I could wait in the car, I don't need or want to be in the middle of the action."

"Doesn't matter, I would still insist on it, so would Ranger. Keep this in mind too, I can't do my job and worry about protecting you as well. I'd protect you even if I was dying. You would be my priority."

Staci sighed, "I understand. I'm sorry, I'm just not comfortable around a gun given my childhood."

Les pulled her into his broad strong chest, "I totally understand. In your shoes, I probably wouldn't want to be around them either. I love you and I will always want to protect you."

"Maybe you could wear a body camera sometime so I could watch without having to leave the office."

"That might happen. Let me work on it and someday maybe I will do that." A plan was beginning to hatch in Les' mind on how that camera would work nicely in other ways like when he was ready to propose in a few months.

Staci got to work a lot on her schooling since the phones weren't busy. One particular call peaked Staci's interest a lot. Connie had a couple clients who skipped this morning.

"Les, Connie called. She has a couple files for Rangeman. Who picks them up?"

"One of the guys will pick them up in the morning. Usually we automatically stop by there, but if they are a higher bond amount she will sometimes call."

"Steph or I could start on them now, if someone was going past the office like on their way to lunch."

"Is that a hint?"

"Maybe, you could bring us lunch as well."


	16. Chapter 16

Not mine except Staci. Thank you for your reviews, they mean a lot. Thanks Rainbow for your work.

Love at the Drive-thru

A/N words spoken by Hector are in italics and should be classified as spoken in Spanish.

Chapter 16

A few months later

Classes had been going well for Staci. Her ability to learn and retain information allowed her to move along quickly with school. Normally the classes were set up for an adult to work at their own pace while taking usually two classes at a time.

Between Staci's skills and Rangeman they had given Staci the ability to take three classes instead. She had continued to receive high marks on all of her papers she had to submit and on her tests. Staci had gotten to the point where she didn't need to see Hector as much since she had learned how to download a couple of the programs needed for specific classes. She missed talking to him.

It was looking like she would be able to graduate in a year as opposed to the year and a half that it was projected to complete the courses she needed.

While she was still working occasionally as a receptionist, she was doing other things in the research department as well allowing Steph to go out in the field more. She missed talking to Steph as much but with as busy as they were keeping her she didn't notice it.

On her paychecks Staci noticed however a bonus of usually eight to nine hundred dollars. Finally she asked Lester about it.

"Why do I keep seeing this bonus on my paycheck?" She quizzed while pointing it out to him.

"That is where you have helped with a take down."

"But I'm not out in the field. How am I helping?"

"The research you do provides us with leads on a skip's movements. Therefore you are a part of the take down. You aren't getting a bonus on all of them. Just a select few but its enough to add up."

"How do you determine which ones I get a bonus from?"

"I don't Ranger does and I'm not sure what he is using to determine it. What are you doing with the bonuses?"

"Savings, so I can buy the Durango from you."

Lester sighed, "That was a gift. It is already titled in your name along with mine. You can't buy a gift from yourself."

Now it was Staci's turn to sigh. "I don't like being reliant on you. I'm sorry. You are trying to spoil me."

"Is it working? And for your information you are not reliant on me. You do plenty of things on your own without asking for my opinion or input. Never be sorry for telling me how you feel. I want to know."

"You are such a freak. Do you realize how perfect you are for me?"

Smiling from ear to ear, "I know I'm perfect for you. But do _you_ realize how perfect you are for me? My world is so much better now that you are in it. Have you paid attention to how often we finish each others sentences or think alike?"

With a bashful smile and a nudge to his shoulder, "Yeah, I have. I don't know why it took so long for us to find each other, but I'm glad we did. If only it could have been sooner."

Silently he agreed, if only. He gently kissed her before swatting her ass. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Let me shut everything down and turn the phones over."

"When are finals starting?"

"Two weeks. They should be a breeze. I've aced everything else."

"Study anyway."

Les sent Ranger and Tank a text reminding them of her finals coming up for the semester.

The following day as Tank was conducting the morning meeting, "Gentlemen and ladies, I am concluding this meeting for a special request, for the next couple weeks please give any files needing research done to Stephanie. Staci has finals coming up and I want her studying."

SSSSSSSSS

Staci spent the next two weeks studying anytime she had a free minute. She went into the finals feeling confident. Since Staci and Les had become a couple, things had changed some around Rangeman. Every Sunday they along with Ranger and Steph had dinner together. On occasion Ram and sometimes Hal would join the group in Les and Staci's apartment.

At Sunday dinner Ranger spoke, "You are not to come into work until you have taken your test tomorrow. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir. It is available at eight. I'll be in after I'm done. There is one each day, I'll have all three classes done by Wednesday mid morning and results on Thursday for all three."

"That is fine, come in each day after you are done. When on Thursday will the results be available?"

"The message board says Thursday morning eight AM. I'll print off the results."

"How do you feel going into tomorrow?" Steph asked.

"Really good. I'm not studying today, I think I need to relax and chill out."

Hal spoke up next, "I've got the phones covered for her on Monday and Wednesday not that she is doing much with them any more. I'm not sure who is taking care of Tuesday, that is my late day. For the record, I think we need another receptionist just like her."

"I've got Tuesday covered. I concur with Hal. We need another one for the phones. She is doing great in the research department." Ram clarified.

"Guys I appreciate all of your help. Each one of you along with Woody and Hector have been a huge help to me. I couldn't have done it without each and everyone of you."

"Pea, when you succeed, we succeed. That is what this company has been built on. I have been fortunate to share all of this with you."

After dinner the group sat together just talking until Daisy said she wanted to go out. With the weather being nice out they all went on a walk with the dog, laughing and talking as they went. The biggest laugh came with Les being on dirty doggie duties and the dreaded plastic bag.

Who knew the man was squeamish over cleaning up dog poo? "Can we put in a dog walk on the adjacent block until we expand?"

"Are you paying for it Santos?" Ranger growled.

"Hadn't planned on it."

"Then we hadn't planned on putting one in. Just pick up the poop and lets go." Ranger snapped back. "Besides, you would have to clean up over there too."

After running his hand down his face to school his laugh Ram asked, "When you take her on a walk who picks up Daisy's droppings?" Les pointed to Staci. "And if Staci isn't with you, then who does it?"

Les blushed, "Nobody."

"That changes today," Ranger scolded. "When I've taken her with me for a run, I clean up if she needs to crap while we are out."

"I've done the same thing," came from Hal.

Les argued back, "You have not ever taken that dog on a run with you."

"Baby, yes he has when you were in Miami a couple times. Good grief, give me the bag. Its easier for me to just do it and get it done and over with." She shook her head at him. "My poor Les. I pity the day you change a poopy diaper." The rest of the group snickered at her comment.

With the dog poop dilemma taken care of the group continued on their walk.

Monday morning came way too early. Staci sat down at the kitchen table and began her final. Les kissed her bye, "I'll see you in the office when you are done. Good luck Pea. I love you and I'm proud of you."

"I love you too. I'll be up there soon."

The questions were the same as the ones at the end of her chapters. With all the classes being online and at your own pace all the tests and finals were open book. Staci was able to answer ninety-eight of the questions without thought. She debated on the multiple choice answers before looking in each chapter for the answer. When she submitted the final she smiled. She knew she aced it even though she wouldn't have the results before Thursday.

Tuesday and Wednesday's finals went the same basic way except on Wednesday she didn't need to look up any answers.

Thursday morning she went to the office with Les. "I'm supposed to wait for you to get your results then take you to the morning meeting since you haven't been to one all week."

Staci was nervous logging into the school's website. Once in she had to wait on the results to be available. At five minutes after eight she had the results in hand.

As they entered the room at eight-ten, Tank shot them a look. "You're late."

"No sir, I was instructed to get my scores from my finals and then come to the morning staff meeting."

"And I was told to escort her." A beaming Lester chimed in.

Steph blurted out, "Don't keep us in suspense, how did you do?"

"On all three finals I scored a hundred on each one!"

A round of cheers went up for Staci from all the guys. Les whispered in her ear, "I knew you could do it. I'm so very proud of you Pea." He kissed her cheek while she remained in his lap.

"Excellent job Staci." Came from Ranger.

Staci took notes for Les at the meeting otherwise she would have fallen asleep from boredom. At the end of the meeting the guys came around individually to congratulate her on a job well done.

Hector was the last one to come through and had Les to translate to her, " _I'm proud of you and I am glad I was able to help you Sol._ "

"What did he say?"

Les repeated in English what he had said.

"What does Sol mean?"

"It means sun. You are bright. I'll agree with him, you are the sun for me. Just like Steph is a light for Ranger."

"Tell him Thank you for helping me."

"You tell him."

"Gracias por tu ayuda. Did I say that right?" Staci replied while giving Hector a hug.

He whispered in her ear using English, "Perfectly."

The rest of the day went by quickly for Staci. As congratulations the guys had saved all of the searches Stephanie hadn't gotten to for the last two weeks for Staci to work on since the finals were finished or at least it felt that way to her.

Before she left for the day she had completed six of them and would finish the remaining eight in the morning.

Friday morning she attended the morning meeting with Les. At the conclusion of the meeting, Ranger told Staci to come to his office with him.

"I need for you to run these background checks as soon as possible."

"I've got eight ahead of yours. The guys bombarded me once I was done with finals."

"These go around them. I'm looking to hire another receptionist. You are going to research full time. You're done on the phones, I'm wasting your talent otherwise."

"Why am I going there now? I thought you wanted me to finish school first."

"I'd like for you to, but Steph is moving to oversee sales. You are going to be the lead researcher."

"Will I have people working under me?"

"Eventually. You and Babe have something in common."

"Really!?"

"Yeah, you can ask a lot of questions."

She had learned Ranger humor when she heard it. As a reply she rolled her eyes as she picked up the files. "I'll try to have them done before lunch. Do you want me to look them over or is that something you prefer to do?"

"You can check them out and give your input."

She was impressed he valued her that much. "I'll do my best."

As Staci turned to walk out the door she heard his last comment, "You always do." She didn't reply to him but simply walked on out the door towards hers and Les' office.

Staci placed a call to Les, "Hey baby, how long before you come back to the office?"

"Steph and I have two more skips to pick up, but if you need me I can come back."

"It isn't necessary, I was going to use your computer in addition to mine to run background checks on potential new candidates for the receptionist position since I'm no longer the receptionist here."

"Excuse me.?"

"You heard me, I'm no longer the receptionist."

"When did that happen?"

"After the morning meeting. Ranger asked me to come to his office, he gave me the files on these people to run. By the way, you are talking to the lead researcher."

"Pea! That is great news! We will be back soon. Go ahead and use my computer too. I love you."

"I love you too."

After Les disconnected the call he told Steph about the recent developments.

"I knew it was coming. He moved me to be over the sales department so she could move up. Plus it gets me out of the building everyday."

"I was under the impression he was going to wait until she was done with her classes?"

"Les have you not noticed how bored she is on the phones?"

He shook his head. "I guess not."

"Don't get me wrong, a receptionist is an important position. They are the first voice a client hears when the call in, but that position was not using her abilities at all. She excels in research, she is probably better than I am and faster. I get bored doing research, she doesn't. For Staci it is like she is solving a mystery and she usually has the answer about midway through."

"I haven't noticed."

"That is why Ranger makes the big bucks. He noticed. Way to pay attention to your surroundings." To let him know she was joking, Steph gave him a jovial elbow to the rib.

It gave Les something to think about while they were watching for their first skip to come out of the restaurant where he worked the early morning shift part time. Something Staci had clued them in on.

At ten forty-five, Wyatt Marshal was on his way back to the Trenton PD. Wyatt was a low level bond, he had been arrested for breaking and entering and it was his first offense. Unfortunately for him, he didn't understand he needed to report for his hearing to keep from being a FTA. Steph placed a quick call to Connie so Mr. Marshal could be re-bonded as quickly as possible and return to work.

By lunchtime Les and Steph had apprehended the other FTA. As they returned to Rangeman, they stopped to pick up lunch for the four of them. Steph wanted Chinese and Staci agreed. Sometimes Ranger and Les were extremely wise, they agreed with their women.

While they sat at the table in Les and Staci apartment eating, Staci decided to ask Ranger about the bonuses that appeared on her checks. "Ranger, I have a question. How do you decide on my bonus?"

He was surprised it had taken her this long to ask, but he was ready. "The research you turn in to us has your name on it. I take the amount Rangeman makes off of each one and you get one percent. Now that doesn't seem like a lot until you figure some of the paperwork you have handled has been for bonds over five hundred thousand dollars. Your part would be five thousand dollars. Obviously I haven't paid you the full amount because if I did the taxes would eat you up, instead, I divide it out over the month so you are taxed at a lower rate. Sometimes it is longer that I spread it out. I try to make sure you get at least a thousand dollars a week bonus. If it is a low bond, say only a ten grand, you would only get ten bucks. Make sense?"

"Yeah it does. Hard work pays off … lucratively."


	17. Chapter 17

Not mine. Thank you for the reviews. Sorry this is late. Thank you Rainbow.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 17

Some more time had passed and Staci was ready to graduate. It had been her dream to walk the stage to receive her diploma. The time had come for that dream to be a reality. Staci was graduating with honors and was in the top ten of her class. She was the only one to be competing the course in a year a true testament that she had worked her butt off to achieve her goals.

The day before the ceremony she and Steph needed to buy her a dress to wear for the ceremony. They hit up Macy's before going to any other store in hopes to find what Staci had in mind. She had a tendency to dress more conservatively than Steph so it took her a while to find that 'perfect' dress.

After a couple hours of shopping, Staci settled on a navy blue dress that hit right at her knees and had a scoop neck that skimmed the top of her breasts. Very appropriate for the event. "I have a pair of silver FMPs that will be perfect with this."

"Is there anything else you need to get?"

"Nope, I'm good. How about you?"

"Lunch. We cannot go to the mall without lunch."

They settled for a slice of pizza each along with a soda before sitting down at a table along the edge of the restaurant. Staci knew Steph was trying to stall for some reason. She, however, was ready to return to Rangeman and Les.

"I'll be glad to get back to the building. It has been a long couple days."

"You know, I'd like to go see a movie."

"A movie.?"

"Yeah, you know those things on big screens at a theater."

"Which one?"

"Fifty Shades, Freed. I've seen the other two. Have you seen them?"

"Yes I have. They are good."

"Good. Lets go. I'll send Ranger a text and he can tell Les where we are going."

After her quick text to Ranger, Steph told Staci that Les wanted her to enjoy the movie and take notes. "That man is impossible. I have my own pervert." Staci commented.

"I think I basically told you that. But he is perfect for you."

Staci smiled and got a dreamy look at that statement, "Yes he is."

The women took their purchases to the car before going to the theater. Upon arriving at the theater, the women loaded up on popcorn, drinks and chocolate. Steph teased Staci, "Got your pen and paper handy?"

"I'll borrow your notes later."

They settled in to watch the movie. A rarity happened during the movie, neither talked. Afterwards would be a different story.

"Ya know, Christian Grey is hot, but I think our men are hotter. Personally, I'd like to see Les dressed in a pair of faded jeans with the knees out and maybe a white button down shirt left undone." Came from Staci.

"Yum, I've seen Ranger dressed like that, I do have to agree our men are hotter. But the movie was good. I'm going to the ladies room."

As she entered the restrooms, Stephanie sent a quick text to Ranger. _Is everything done?_

His response was instant. _No. Stall her longer._

Steph had to think about what to do now. How could that group of men not be done? _How much longer?_

 _We need another hour. Window shop, Les and I will be there shortly for dinner._

She could window shop and shouldn't have too much trouble getting Staci to go along with it, Steph decided. As she approached Staci, she decided to go with a partial truth. "Lets window shop a bit, the guys are going to take us to dinner." Staci agreed to it as they headed back out into the mall.

Staci knew Victoria Secret was Steph's favorite store in the entire mall so she wasn't surprised when they went there. After Steph bought half of Vickie's they found themselves at Bath and Body Works, Staci's favorite place. A text from Lester told her they were in the parking lot and he needed to know where she was in the mall.

 _I'm at my favorite store._ More proof he was a smart man, he was standing beside her in a minute after receiving her text.

"I hope one of these days Victoria Secret becomes your favorite."

"Gee, I wonder why.?"

Whispering in her ear, "So I can do you the way Ranger does Steph and rip your panties off of you."

"You wouldn't."

"I would and you would love it." For emphasis he threw in his customary eyebrow waggle. "Are you ready for dinner?"

"Absolutely. Let me pay for this stuff."

Dinner was a huge success, especially since no one had to cook it or clean up afterwards. The conversation was light and jovial only touching briefly on the interviews Ranger and the other core team members had set up for another receptionist since Alyce hadn't worked out.

"Any prospects?" Staci asked the two men.

Ranger answered, "One interviewed really well the other two would be good fits as well."

"None of them are as good as the one we had. But she moved to research." Lester stated for the record.

"You, my love are biased."

"Damn straight I am. But as long as you remain in our office, I'll be happy. And by our office I mean mine and your office, not Rangeman in general."

"Yeah you just love me for my dog and that is why you want me in there."

"You are impossible. Thank heavens I love you."

Ranger interrupted, "I hate to break up this little party but graduation is tomorrow and you have to be there early, not to mention most of my men."

"Most of the guys?" Staci asked with both eyebrows raised.

"Yep, I am calling in contract workers to cover while three quarters of them are at your graduation." Ranger told her. She smiled at his comment. "You are loved by my men as much as Babe."

"Well thank you. I appreciate them wanting to come out in support of me. Lets go home."

Back in the apartment, Staci and Les get ready for bed then meet in his bedroom. "Is your alarm set Pea?"

"Yes it is. I can't believe I'm graduating tomorrow."

"You are and I am so proud of you." Les told her as he pulled her back into his chest spooning her the way they have slept for the last several months unless he was on call.

The following morning they woke up before her alarm went off. They started the day off with breakfast and a morning walk for them. It was going to be short since they had to leave to get to the auditorium so they could line up to walk the stage.

Staci knew where she would be seated and left her cap in her chair before finding the gang. Ranger hadn't pulled her leg. There were at least ten of the men there not counting Les and Steph. Even Ella and Louis joined them.

Twenty minutes before time for the ceremony to start, Ella accompanied Staci to help her put her cap on and secure it. "I am proud of you. Staci, I hope someday you will be a permanent fixture and married to Les. He is so crazy about you."

Staci wanted to cry, Ella had become the closest mom she had ever known. "I love you. Will you adopt me?"

"I already have, you are my second daughter. I love you too." Ella gave her a brief hug before returning to the rest of the gang.

As she waited she looked to see Les and even more of her Rangeman family in the stands waiting with her, Ranger hadn't been kidding. Her eyes locked on Lester's. He smiled and winked at her causing her to smile back.

Finally the wait was over and the ceremony began. Needless to say there were two very boring speakers who gave speeches that was too long and droned on. After what seemed to be an eternity they began calling names.

Les had a camera, also known as his phone, with him and shortly before they called Staci's name he left the stands to go to the edge of the stage to catch a photo of Staci as she walked. Allison Martin was called then, "Staci Martin." Les was ready, so was her support crew if the cheers were any indication. No doubt about it she had the biggest group and not just in amount of people.

The first photo Les captured was her being handed the diploma, second was her shaking hands with the dean, and his third was of her walking towards him.

She was smiling big when she saw Les standing near where she was coming off the stage. "You did it Pea!"

Another thirty minutes later and she was throwing her cap in the air with the rest of her graduating class. The guys joined her on the main floor to congratulate her and give her hugs.

"Lets go home Pea, I want to celebrate in private."

Back at Rangeman, Staci and Les went to the apartment to change clothes. Les suggested, "How about a picnic on the roof?"

"That sounds fun. Let me get some sandwiches together."

"Don't I'll call Ella and we can pick them up in a few minutes." He pulled her to him in a soft embrace, "Did I tell you how beautiful you were today?"

"No, you didn't."

"I loved that dress. You were beautiful." He drew in a deep contented breath. "Let me call Ella."

Les placed a call to Ella, "Hi Ella. I wanted to take Staci on a picnic on the roof, would you be able to make us a couple sandwiches?"

"Absolutely, give us twenty minutes."

"Thank you Tia Ella." After hanging up with her, he turned to Staci, "She said give her twenty minutes. Can you make it that long?"

Staci smiled, "I believe so. Let me get some treats for Daisy and I'll take her to the control room."

After she gathered the necessary items for Daisy they walked up to the control room and left her cruising the floor. From there they went to the seventh floor, "I thought we were getting sandwiches from Ella?"

"She was going to set the table for us on the roof."

"Awe, that is so sweet of her."

As they exited onto the roof, "SURPRISE!" Came from everybody waiting on her.

Staci clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise and the tears welled up in her eyes. "Pea, you didn't think we would let you graduate and not have a party did you?"

"Well yeah. You hadn't said anything and then you suggested we should go home. So this is a total surprise." Staci told him flinging her arms around his neck as she did.

Tank was manning the grill where burgers and corn on the cob were cooking, Hal was backing him up. The stereo had some of her favorite songs playing and Les asked her to dance while the food finished.

After the song ended, Staci found Steph, "Did you have any part in this?"

Steph gave her a 'who me look' before answering, "It was all Ella's idea. She wanted to do it. My job was to keep you out of the building while the guys helped her set it all up."

"I love it. I need to find Ella."

A few moments later Staci found the older woman talking to Ranger and Les. All conversation stopped as Staci approached, "I understand I have you to thank for this."

Ella smiled, "Yes my sweet, sweet girl, but I had help. Around here it is the only way I know how to do somethings. Big."

"Well thank you. Like I told Steph, I love it." Staci noticed everybody standing close by was smiling at her. "And thank you guys for helping her set it up. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I feel like I have found a family." By now everybody was listening to her. "Over the last year, I feel like I have grown as a person, become more confident in myself and my abilities. I know it is because I have a wonderful family, the Rangeman family. Thank you."

Tank announced that the food was ready causing everybody to move to the tables. "The graduate is first!" Came from Tank's big booming voice. "This one is yours." Tank gave her a burger made just the way she liked it. Messy.

Staci moved on down the line to the corn and baked beans along with various salads, potato and macaroni being in the mix. She smiled again for the millionth time today realizing they had gone all out to have a meal that was one of her favorites and Ranger probably wouldn't touch unless he gave the temple the evening off.

She took a seat and waited for Les to catch up with her. Les sat down to her left side while Ram sat on her right and Hal was across from her.

"So what is next for the head of research?" Hal asked.

"I have no clue. And how am I the head of research? I'm the only one in research. There needs to be a couple more of me with the amount of searches coming in. Would you believe one of the guys from the Boston office over-nighted a request to me?"

Les spoke up, "Yeah, Mark Fields, he was told to. Boston was running out of time to catch that guy and your information led to his arrest. Your bonus the last few weeks was from that capture."

"Why does Ranger keep doing that?"

"Because the fugitive was worth two-hundred and fifty thousand to Rangeman." Replied the boss himself. "If it hadn't been for your research we wouldn't have gotten him. You are well worth the bonuses whether you see it or not." Staci gave an 'o' look to her boss. "Staci I know you don't believe it, but you are a huge asset to Rangeman and not just the Trenton office as you just learned. Be happy with the bonuses, keep them and when you get tired of my cousin here, you have a means of escape."

"You're right I don't see it or believe it, but I will take the bonuses. And I doubt that I get tired of your cousin."

Before it got much later, Ella announced that dessert would be served soon. Staci wondered what was going to be served. She knew she would find out soon enough.

The music started up again after everybody had finished the main meal. Staci found herself swept off her feet by Hal. It surprised her how well the big man could move. He swung her around the makeshift dance floor a few times before Ram cut in taking his turn.

Finally, Les took over and danced with Staci for several songs. The last one before the cake would be served was hers and Les' favorite. Softly he sang to her as they danced with everybody else watching the couple move around the area. I Can't Help Falling in Love With You continued to play as Les thought about what he had planned next.

As the song ended, Ella called out, "Time for Staci's cake."

Les led Staci to the cake, as Staci read the inscription on it she started to cry. _Staci Will you marry me?_

Staci turned to find Les on bent knee with a two carat solitaire in hand.


	18. Chapter 18

Not mine just borrowing them for a while. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Rainbow, thank you for your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 18

 **Staci's POV**

I couldn't believe what I had read on the cake. _Staci Will you marry me?_ I had to read it twice. As I turned to face Les, I saw him on bent knee holding a ring. I started to cry as I repeatedly said 'Yes'. My dream was finally coming true, I was going to marry the only man I believe I ever truly loved.

I watched as he slipped the diamond solitaire on my left hand. As I looked at the square cut diamond I thought it looked huge. He enveloped me in a bone crushing hug. "I love you Pea."

I placed my hand on his cheek, "I love you so much Les. You are perfect." He nuzzled in closer to my hand trying to get firmer contact with me as if that was really possible.

After our moment there were several calls of 'get a room' plus whoops and hollers. When our moment was over, Steph was at my side to look at the ring along with Ella. "The boy has good taste," Ella commented. "I'm so glad for you my sweet girl."

Steph offered, "I'll help you anyway I can."

Ella suggested, "I think up here would be a wonderful place to have the wedding. I'd love to decorate this again for such occasion."

I continued looking at my ring, beaming, "I'm probably going to take both of you up on your offers."

Les rejoined me after talking to Ranger and Tank, "Pea, when would you like to get married and where would you like to do it?"

Ella spoke up basically repeating what she had said to me, "If Ranger will allow it, I would like to decorate this roof top again, but make it for a wedding. It would be beautiful up here at dusk."

I had to think about it, the roof seemed to be Ranger and Steph's special place plus I didn't know if Ranger would want strangers coming through the building to get to the roof. There were a few from the restaurant I wanted to invite, especially Darrin. Hesitantly I broached the subject with Steph cause deep down, I liked Ella's idea.

"I can get Ranger to go along with it. One of the staff would just escort people up on the elevator, so I don't see a problem."

I decided after the party, Les and I would sit down and discuss the size of the wedding we wanted. For me, it didn't need to be big or elaborate, but I did want nice and a few friends.

It was late when the party finally ended. I had danced some more with Hal and Ram but saved several for my fiancé.

On one particular dance Ram commented to me, "He is lucky. Maybe I should have came to Biscuits n More. You could have been mine."

"I could have, but I think he was the one. I hadn't really looked at a man until him, then something clicked."

Luckily the music ended and I was able to move away from him. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable, far from it, I just didn't want to hurt Ram's feelings. He wasn't Mr. Right.

Finally back in our apartment after our late night, we went through our nightly rituals and met in the bed. As we laid there I asked, "When do you want to get married?"

"Tomorrow."

"Bit soon don't you think?"

"Nope. I've wanted you to be Mrs. Lester Santos for months. I hope you have wanted the same thing for a while as well."

"Longer than I even realized. I'd really like to have a nice ceremony and have a few friends present."

"Pea, take all the time you need to get the wedding you want. You have two wonderful women to help you. They can work miracles. Who do you want to walk you down the aisle?"

"Who were you going to have to be your best man?"

"Probably Ranger."

"Okay, I was going to ask him, but I thought you might want him for that. I am going to ask Steph to be my Matron of honor. I don't have anyone to ask to be Maid of honor."

"Why don't you ask Darrin to walk you down the aisle? You still talk to him and we go there a lot."

"Do you think he would do it?"

"I think he would be honored you asked. We can go there in the morning."

"Okay. Hold me tighter." I wanted to know this wasn't a dream. As I was drifting off, I felt him pull me closer.

 **Les' POV**

This evening had been the best day of my life. I had asked the woman I had loved for months to be my wife. The next best day of my life would be when we actually got married.

I told her the truth when I replied "Tomorrow." It was still too long to wait.

Steph and Ella were already making arrangements and had been for a couple weeks. Both ladies pretty well knew Staci's likes and had already selected some 'suggestions' to present to her when asked. They had some invitations picked out along with a few cake toppers, mostly little things but with Staci details were everything. My goal was a month, it was going to be tough but I would make it happen.

I mentioned about someone to walk her down the aisle. She didn't have a father figure in her life that she was super close to, so I mentioned Darrin. He had taken her under his wing when she worked at the restaurant and she really looked up to him. To me he was the logical choice, now whether he was to Staci was a different story.

"Do you think he would do it?"

I thought he would do it, I was almost certain of it. "I think he would be honored you asked. We can go there in the morning." I replied only to try to boost her confidence of him as an option.

Honoring her request, I pulled her closer to me if that was really possible. I gladly did it before I drifted off to sleep, the closer the better.

The following morning I was up early and hit the streets with Ranger and Daisy. As we ran I asked him, "Would you be willing to be my best man?"

"Absolutely. I would be honored." He replied without being a smart ass, thought or hesitation.

One more thing for me to mark off my list of things to do. Really the groom didn't have much to do for the wedding, it fell to the bride. What I had to do was show up for my bachelor party, behave myself, not a problem anymore, and plan the honeymoon. We didn't have time to get her passport so we needed to stay in country, which I could do easily enough. With her sheltered life and inability to afford to travel, anyplace we went would be a treat for her, but I wanted perfect. I wanted it to be trip she would remember.

Different times when we had been watching television she would comment about wanting to see different places. The goal here was to make it happen. I personally thought she should get to see the United States, I had. There wasn't a state I hadn't been to at one time or another. Sometimes it was to pick up a skip, other times was to serve in a disaster situation while a few other times was for pleasure.

My Challenger was getting ready to have some serious miles put on it. I had already talked to Ranger about using the company plane to take my car to New Orleans. My plan was to start there and work our way east visiting various places along the way. From there I thought we would go to Destin, Florida, then over to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah was a city I wanted to explore for a couple day before going to Charleston, South Carolina. She had talked about wanting to see it. Afterwards we could work our way up the coast line to the Outer Banks then continue northward. Overall, I was planning on us being gone a couple weeks at least. Hell, we might even make it a month. It wasn't like Ranger was going to fire either one of us.

I met Staci coming out of the bathroom as I was gathering my clothes to take a quick shower, "Give me a couple minutes and we will go to breakfast."

She nodded her head at me in understanding before she sat on the edge of the bed. "Wonder if I can get everything done in time so we can get married in a month to six weeks?"

"I'm sure you can. Steph and Ella have already been working on some of the details already."

"Such as?"

"Invitations, reception, cake toppers, and such. They are excited for us."

"Wow! All of that since last night?"

"No Pea, they have been working on it for the last couple weeks."

"How did I miss all of this?"

"You have been working and so excited for graduation. Lets go."

LSLSLSLSLSLSLS

They arrived at Biscuits 'n More a short time later and placed their order. After they had eaten their bacon, egg and cheese biscuits, Les asked Darrin to come out to their table.

"How was everything?" Darrin asked.

"Very good as usual," Les casually replied but genuinely meant it. "Darrin we wanted you to be one of the first to know, I asked Staci to marry me and she said yes."

"That is wonderful news." Darrin replied while taking a look at the rock now on Staci's small hand.

Staci took over speaking, "One of the reasons we are here, besides eating, is I have a favor to ask."

"Ask away."

"Since I do not have a father to give me away. Would you do the honors?"

The smile on Darrin's face told the story, "I would be delighted to do that." He turned and looked at Les, "I am not as badass as you, but if you hurt this woman, I will hunt you down and kill you."

Les gave his own smile, "I would expect nothing less. All I want to do is love her and make her happy. She is the woman I have wanted for years."

"You all tell me when and where, I'll be there." Darrin replied as he stood to leave, Staci and Les stood up with him.

Les took a moment to shake his hand and thank him for agreeing. He already knew Darrin would say yes since Les had explained to him a few days ago what he was going to do. Staci took a moment to hug Darrin and whisper "Thank you."

"You have a keeper sweetheart."

They bused their own table as is customary in an establishment such as this before leaving. On their way back to Rangeman Les asked, "Are you ready to go look at wedding dresses?"

"Yeah, I need to see when Stephanie and/or Ella are available."

"Pea, they are waiting on you. You have an appointment at the bridal shop at eleven hundred hour."

Staci stammered around for a moment before managing, "Um, okay. When was this planned?"

"Two days ago. Beautiful thought it would be a good idea to have it scheduled ahead of time. I hope you are not mad."

"I'm not mad just surprised that's all. You were pretty confident I was going to say yes."

Les shot her a Cheshire cat grin, "Yeah, I was very confident of your answer."

Arriving back at Rangeman was sometimes an adventure in itself. Mrs. Plum had arrived to give Steph some grief about her life choices. It seemed that Joe Morelli had found himself single again after dating a teacher for an extended period of time and having a fling with Terri.

"You need to leave these thugs and go back to Joseph."

"Mom I've been married to Ranger for three years. I'm not leaving him now."

Staci decided to be a smart ass and help her friend possibly. "Steph are you ready to go look at wedding dresses?"

"In a minute."

"Okay but don't be too long they won't hold your appointment."

"Wedding dresses?" Mrs. Plum quizzed. "You claimed you were already married to that man."

"I am _mother."_ An air of disdain present in Steph's voice. "We are renewing our vows," making it apparent to Staci that Steph was following her roll.

"Mother Ella will be waiting on us," Steph continued baiting the woman more.

Staci moved on with her, "Yes she will be. I never like to keep her waiting. Mrs. Plum have a nice day."

Without another word to Mrs. Plum, Stephanie and Staci moved into the interior of the Rangeman building and away from the lobby where the older woman remained.

"I can't believe she said that to you." Staci commented as they moved on towards the sixth floor.

"It used to be a daily occurrence with her. Now it is down to once every few months. I avoid her as much as possible. Sometimes Ranger goes out to talk to her. It never ends well."

The elevator let them out on the sixth floor where Ella already had the door open for them. "There's my girls," she exclaimed as they entered in the living room. "I heard you had a visitor. Same song and dance?"

"You got it in one," Steph acknowledged.

The ladies drank some coffee and chatted about the wedding. Steph and Ella showed Staci the invitations and cake toppers they thought she might like. The worst part, she loved all of them.

To help her make the decision on what cake topper, they assigned each one a number then put the numbers in a hat. The winning topper was number two. A classic floating monogram black acrylic cake topper with obviously the letter 'S', the wrought iron design around the letter was elegant and stylish. Later on she could incorporate it to a wreath for their apartment door.

The invitations Staci decided on had moon and stars hanging on string lights decorating the background. They were a romantic and dreamy night sky with various shades of blue, purple and blush. Inscribed on them would be Staci Ann Martin and Lester Mateo Santos request the pleasure of your company at their wedding celebration on June thirtieth at 7PM on the rooftop of Rangeman. Reception to follow ceremony.

"I'd love to have that incorporated in my reception."

"I can do that with some help from Louis and Steph." came from Ella.

"I had intended on helping as well Staci." Steph added.

With the clock winding down, the ladies left to go to the bridal shop. Luckily for them Mrs. Plum didn't wait around to follow them to the shop. Staci realized exactly how much the women knew her when they were greeted at Tiffany's a Bridal Boutique.

The owner herself, Tiffany greeted them, "Welcome to Tiffany's, you must be Staci. Stephanie and Ella have told me so much about you."

Staci felt a little overwhelmed but relieved she had two wonderful women with her.

"I have selected several dresses I think you might like based on what the ladies have told me."

Tiffany began showing Staci the fifteen dresses she had selected. With four Staci passed on without even trying on while six others went in the maybe category. One caught her eye.

It was a charming gown with a lace bodice, modest v-neckline, lace sleeves that hit just below the elbow, solid cap sleeves under them. A comfortable natural waist since she hated super form fitting clothes. Her train would be what the industry referred to as a court length train, she called it just long enough. She tried it on and fell in love.

To give the other dresses a fair chance she looked at the remaining four dresses. Two of them she tried on then passed on them since they had a tapered waist line. The last two had potential until she tried them on. Stephanie and Ella agreed those dresses were not Staci.

Staci put the dress on she fell in love with back on. Everybody agreed, that was the dress for her. Luckily it only required a few alterations.

With the dress, invitations, cake topper and venue taken care of Staci felt some relief. The other two ladies were going to be a godsend for her. Outside of Les, these two ladies were her best friends.


	19. Chapter 19

Not mine. Thank you for the reviews and the kind words. Thanks Rainbow for your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 19

The big day had finally arrived. Everything had fallen into place quickly and easily for Staci with Ella's help. The weather was perfect for the wedding and reception. At one point or another everybody had pitched in to help get everything set up. Who knew Tank would be so helpful at stringing lights.

To keep the bride and groom apart, Staci was sent to the penthouse to get dressed. She had gone earlier to the beauty shop where Cindy worked her magic on her hair and nails, then abused her with a waxing on her legs. Staci wanted to match Cindy up with one of the Rangemen, but which one would be a question for another day.

The photographer took some pictures of Ella helping with last minute adjustments to Staci's dress. It was the first and last time a photographer would be in the lair of Batman himself. He got a couple of pictures of the three women together as Steph and Ella looked the bride over and deemed her ready to get married.

As Staci exited the stairwell leading to the rooftop she saw Les for the first time that day.

 **Staci's POV**

As I stepped over the threshold and onto the rooftop, I saw Lester. My heart melted, standing at the end of the aisle was the man who was about to become my husband. Wearing his dress blues, made my heart race even more, I thought he was even more handsome in them. There was something about a man in a uniform.

My hands shook as Darrin walked me down the aisle. I was so nervous and scared. What if I didn't live up to Lester's expectations? Was I going to be happy with him for the rest of my life? All these thoughts went through my mind. I pushed them aside, we had been together too long for it to not work.

He was smiling at me which helped tremendously. As Darrin put my hands in Les', I heard Les whisper to me, "You are stunning." That helped the most, just hearing his voice calmed me. Well Daisy sitting beside him being the 'ring dog' might have helped too.

We exchanged vows and rings in a blur it seemed I tried to remain focused on him, but it felt like a dream. Deciding to stay with traditional vows, I repeated mine after Les has said his. His voice sweet and soft, unlike many times in the office. I heard you may kiss the bride. As the minister said it I was pulled into one of the sweetest kisses I had ever received from Les.

"For the first time ever may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Lester Santos."

I was married! To the man of my dreams no less, I was the luckiest woman on the planet at the time.

As everybody mingled for a few minutes, the photographer took pictures of us, then us with Ranger and Steph. Followed by a few of us with the minister and then some solo pictures. We even got a few with Lester's dad and grandfather.

Finally we cut the cake. As we fed each other Les got a wicked gleam in his eyes and I knew what he was thinking about doing. "If that cake gets mashed in my face, I'll wake up in the morning still a virgin." The gleam was gone. I guessed he wanted to get laid.

I hoped the photographer had gotten pictures of us having our first dance and then my dances with Lucian and then Mateo. The reception went on until the wee hours of the morning. Part of the way through we went to our apartment to change clothes. I had had enough of the dress and Les had been in his uniform long enough.

Somehow we managed to keep our hands off of each other while we changed and made it back to the roof.

Tank grabbed me and took off with me to dance, "Do you have any friends here that would like a man like me?"

I smiled, "Of course. I don't know if Denise is still here or not. You would like her, she is a sweet, sweet woman. She makes all the biscuits at the restaurant." I scanned the roof and found her, "Come with me."

They hit it off like I knew they would. Denise had started with me when the restaurant opened and ended up being Darrin's assistant manager. As they talked, I made my way back to my husband.

I slid my arm around him as he continued on talking to Ranger about our honeymoon plans. It was to be a surprise for me so I had no clue what was going on other than we were taking one of the company planes and the Challenger was already in the cargo hold. I also knew we were leaving about noon tomorrow. Finally Les and I made our way back to the apartment.

 **Les' POV**

I carried Staci over the threshold of the apartment close to midnight. This beautiful woman in my arms was mine, she had became my wife. Tonight I was going to experience something I hadn't in years. A virgin. She had made that vow to herself and kept it. I was honored.

I had talked to Bobby about what could be done to keep from intercourse hurting her.

"Les if she uses tampons the hymen may already be tore. That doesn't mean she isn't a virgin it just means you won't be tearing that membrane. Enjoy being with her and don't worry man."

I left his office feeling better since I knew she used tampons all the time after all I had bought them for her.

The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, but it was possibly or probably going to happen. Granted it wasn't going to be over the intensity of a pinch if it did, but I never wanted to cause her any kind of pain.

I let her out of my arms once we were in the living room, "Remember the white teddy you wore on Christmas. Please wear it tonight."

She slipped it on and a robe over it until she was done in the bathroom. I was sitting on the bed waiting on her to come out of the room ... with sweaty palms. My anticipation level was through the roof, I could only imagine hers.

I noticed the robe was gone as she entered the bedroom with me. Tonight was the night I would take the offer of herself. Like all those months ago on Christmas Eve I laid my forehead against her stomach and let my arms wrap around her. "I love you so much Pea."

Eventually I had to let her go so I could stand up, I had some clothing to remove from her. She had a pair of boxers to remove off of me. I began kissing her neck and onto her shoulders. Seduction would help her a lot with nerves. Removing the straps of the teddy off of her shoulders was next. As I did I kissed her soft lips noting how she was positively responding to me.

With her breasts now exposed to me, I caressed the globes that fit my hands so perfectly and teased her nipples. That action elicited a soft moan from her, I knew that was a positive for me. I resumed my kissing on her body with attention being on her breasts. As a response she wrapped her arms around my head and ran her fingers through my hair encouraging me to continue.

I moved lower on her body working the teddy down as I did. Her body wasn't a perfect body shape, it didn't matter to me, I loved her.

Glancing up at her face I knew she was feeling the passion I was conveying since her head was laid back. Continuing on with my seduction I kissed further down her body finally reaching her core after I removed the teddy from her fully.

I took a finger and circled her clit before moving towards her opening, she was wet. Needing to get her on the bed before I went any further, I stood back up.

"Would you like to remove my boxers?"

She smiled and moved her small hands to the elastic band. As she lowered them my cock sprang free from the confines. She took my member in her hand and slowly stroked it looking and studying me as she did.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what you want Pea."

"I want you to make love to your wife."

"Pea, I'm going to try not to hurt so I am going to go slow as I possibly can. I want to try to allow you to adjust as much as possible."

"Bobby and I talked. I know it _might_ hurt, but we will be fine after the first time. Just make love to me … please."

I was surprised she talked to Bobby of all people, but then again I shouldn't have. He was a doctor and had knowledge of the female anatomy from a medical standpoint and not just on a personal level.

"I've also done some research online. It is okay."

I lowered her onto the bed and positioned myself over her. Slowly I began entering her. If I hurt her she never acknowledged it in any way, I watched. I was ready to explode from being sheathed in her as I stopped for the last time. She was tight.

"Are you okay?"

A single tear slid down her cheek, "I'm perfect. I love you so much."

I gave her a couple strokes before I paused again. My body needed to calm as much as she needed to stretch. I could feel the tightness waning a little telling me her body was accepting the intrusion. Studying her face for a moment told me she was ready for more strokes. This time I doubled it and did four before pausing. Her body was more relaxed around me.

"Are you still okay?" I asked, surprised about how nervous I was over our encounter.

"I am fine. Please continue."

"This time I'm not going to stop until I'm done. If you need me to stop before then, tell me please."

"I will."

I kept my strokes slow trying to prolong everything and not hurt her. Her moans told me she was enjoying my attention to her. I was enjoying hers to me. She watched me as I came coating the walls inside her. We had decided we didn't want to start a family immediately. To prevent her getting pregnant right off the bat she had Bobby to give her a shot for birth control. I wanted to wait at least a year before trying.

I was relieved when she went to the restroom and returned saying there was no blood.

"Thank you for being such a gentleman. I enjoyed the experience and look forward to a repeat." Taking a page from my book she threw in an eyebrow waggle.

"I am always available for encore performances." I pulled her to me so I could kiss the hell out of her.

We made love three more times before we were sated. Each time was better than the time before. Her body was adjusting fast. It needed to, I wanted to make love to her every morning and every night.

 **Staci's POV**

As we entered the apartment for the night, this time as husband and wife, he carried me over the threshold. It surprised me when he let me down in the living room. I had fully expected to be carried to his king size bed.

"Remember the white teddy you wore on Christmas. Please wear it tonight."

I had forgotten about it and bought another piece of lingerie for tonight, but since he asked for that, I'd wear it. As I slipped it on, I noticed how much more toned my body had become working here and working out some. I needed to brush my teeth and other things in the restroom. In order to keep him in suspense a few minutes longer I slipped my fuzzy robe over it.

When I exited the bath I heard a sharp intake of air come from Les. It still had the same effect on him tonight as it had over a year ago. I moved to stand before him while he was sitting on the side of the bed.

"I love you so much Pea." he told me as he wrapped me in his strong arms.

To me Les was a gorgeous man, well defined body, there was nothing lacking about him. We had held each other before, but tonight I could feel his power buried just below the surface as he was being so gentle.

He stood before me. His seduction of me had begun. Kisses on my neck and shoulders were really wonderful. I could feel my body starting to long for him. He began exposing more of my flesh little by little. His attention to my breasts had me aching with need for him.

He took a finger and circled my clit before moving towards my opening. All to quickly he stood back up.

"Would you like to remove my boxers?"

I had to smile and moved my hands to the elastic band. As l lowered them the first cock and hopefully only cock I would enjoy sprang free from its confines. I took his member in my hand and slowly stroked it looking and studying it. In the few weeks leading up to our wedding I had watched a couple short porn videos just to know what to expect. They didn't prepare me to see and touch the real thing.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what you want Pea."

"I want you to make love to your wife."

"Pea, I'm going to try not to hurt so I am going to go slow as I possibly can. I want to try to allow you to adjust as much as possible."

"Bobby and I talked. I know it _might_ hurt, but we will be fine after the first time. Just make love to me … please." Talking to him about what to expect probably helped more than the videos even though he was the one to suggest it.

I was ready to be Lester's wife in every aspect of the word.

"I've also done some research online. It is okay."

He lowered me onto the bed and positioned himself over me. Slowly he began entering my body. I was finally one with my husband.

"Are you okay?"

A single tear slid down my cheek, "I'm perfect. I love you so much."

He gave me a couple strokes then paused. I could feel my body adjusting to having his cock in me. Slowly he added strokes between the pauses. I didn't know if they were for my benefit or his, I was glad for them. As he stayed still in me it allowed me to feel the fullness he gave me better. I liked the oneness.

"Are you still okay?"

"I am fine. Please continue."

"This time I'm not going to stop until I'm done. If you need me to stop before then, tell me please."

"I will."

We made love three more times before we were sated. Each time was better than the time before. My body was adjusting fast, thankfully. That night I went to sleep a very happy woman.

LSLSLSLSLSLSLS

The following morning Ranger drove the couple to the airport for them to begin their three week honeymoon. Les had planned a road trip starting in New Orleans before going to spend a few days at Destin, Florida. Later the husband and wife traveled to Savannah, Georgia and took in several of the ghost tours along with a riverboat tour. Their favorites spot ended up being Charleston, South Carolina.

They made plans to return to Charleston in a couple months with Ranger and Stephanie for a few days.

"I love it here. If Rangeman ever wants to open a branch, here would be the place and you should take it. I mean of course if Ranger offers it to you."

"I like it too. There is so much to do. I don't think we would ever get bored. Do you want me to suggest it to him?"

"Lets wait just a bit until they have been here."

"Pea, he has been here a lot. Fort Jackson isn't that far. He has had a couple women who have lived here."

"Has he had that many women?"

"He has and I have had more than my share of them too. I'd hate to guess how many women we have tagged separately and together over the years. Pea, keep this in mind, for a number of years fucking women one night and moving on was all we did. For me it stopped with you. For him, it stopped with Stephanie. Come on lets go to the market."

It surprised Staci how her husband and his cousin used to live their lives. She thought about his comment 'together over the years', "What do you mean about together over the years?"

"Hum, you caught that. He and I have participated in threesomes with women over the years. I've done the same with Bobby. Looking back and admitting it to you is something I'm not proud of, but it is how I have learned what pleases you."

She was indeed pleased with what he could do with his tongue, fingers and cock.


	20. Chapter 20

Not mine. Thank you for all the reviews. They mean a lot to me. Rainbow, thank you for your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 20

After a year of marriage, Lester took a contract that would finish his military career. His assignment was to take out the leader of a drug cartel in Colombia. The projected time gone was under six months thankfully. He and Staci discussed it. They decided the proceeds from the mission would be used to fund a little animal rescue group she wanted to start on the small piece of property they had bought not long after getting married and the rest would go into savings.

Lester had to go to Washington DC for a few days to be briefed on the mission. As it turned out it was very low risk, just in and out. Most of the time would be spent in DC going over various scenarios to try to cover as many possible ways to take out the kingpin. They had already had people on the ground learning the man's routine and schedule for the last several months. All that was needed was a final contingency plan and then for Lester to execute said plan in Colombia.

When Les returned from DC, he went over his paperwork in his safety deposit box to make sure everything was squared away as he always did. Staci had never been in the box and didn't even know of its existence. She didn't even know that Rangeman had a bank vault type safe on the premise.

That needed to change, as his spouse and her being employed with Rangeman she would be allowed to enter the vault should the need arise. Everybody had something in a box in the safe except for Ranger and Steph, theirs was in the penthouse. There were files and files on missions they had done over the years they kept for 'reference' if need be stored in the vault as well.

"Staci, there are a few things I need to go over with you. First of all we need to go to the safety deposit box and then we need to go over all the documents that are in there. We have several deeds in there along with my will and the rest you will see."

She nodded her reply understanding that she needed to know where important papers were kept for him. They went over each item in the box. Lester held up six deeds, "These are deeds to properties I or rather now we own in New Jersey, New York and one in Pennsylvania. Some are used as safe houses others are places for me to go and unwind. When I get home we are going to my favorite one in upstate New York. You'll love it."

Staci was not about to admit she was scared that something would happen to him. To her just looking at and going over all the paperwork was an omen in her mind. She was going to do her best to stay positive and upbeat like Steph had suggested. There was no need in having Lester concerned about her while he was gone.

Three days later, she walked him to the helicopter that was on the roof of Rangeman. He kissed her bye and told her not to worry about him as if that wouldn't happen. Hal and Ram hung with her for the rest of the day as buddies and comforters.

They had gotten to be good friends since that night at a Christmas party all those months ago. Each man had taken turns being a buddy for Steph when Ranger would go in the wind, so they knew how to deal with a woman needing company. Pizza and ice cream was on the menu for the night and some kind of chick flick. Smart men.

At nineteen hundred hour the men knocked on Staci's door. She greeted them and took the pizza and ice cream off their hands. As they ate the pizza they asked her how she was doing. It was at that time she told them the truth and what went through her mind as she and Lester had gone over the papers in the box. Both of them assured her that he was good at what he did and would be fine. The movie she chose was Pretty Woman. Ram and Hal agreed they could watch that.

About twenty-two thirty hour the men left a very sleepy Staci. She had a long tiring day. The next morning she met Steph in the gym, both ladies had taken to doing aerobics as their primary form of exercise. They were in shape and had gone to doing the exercise just for maintenance. Since doing the aerobics Staci had lost two sizes in clothes.

Steph told her that she had an extended lunch break today, approved by Ranger, they were taking her to lunch. Staci realized she had great friends, she was glad for them right now.

Staci was working the phones off and on for a few days while Kellie went to a wedding for her sister in Missouri. Around ten the main line into Rangeman began ringing, "Good morning Rangeman Security. How may I direct your call?"

"I am where I need to be. Hi Pea."

As it happened, Stephanie was working beside Staci this morning and took over the phones while Staci talked to Lester.

"I wasn't expecting to hear from you. It is wonderful to hear your voice. How did you manage to get to call?"

"I'm on a break and wanted to hear the voice that has made me smile more than once. How are you doing?"

"So far, okay. Hal and Ram brought pick me up stuff last night and we watched a movie."

"Standard pizza and ice cream?" Les asked while chuckling.

"How did you know?"

"Standard issue for Steph when Ranger leaves. Jeez I miss you. I gotta go. I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled at the receiver before hanging it up.

"They don't get to call often," Steph explained to her.

"But when they do, it is all the more special.?" Staci commented and questioned all at the same time.

Steph smiled and nodded. It had gotten easier for her when Ranger left on occasion. Luckily for her most of the time when he left now, it was to go to another office for a couple days and most of the time she traveled with him since Staci was doing the searches and heading up the research department. Luckily, Ranger hadn't gone on a mission in a few years.

At lunchtime, Ranger and Steph took Staci to lunch. Steph was feeling a bit nostalgic and asked if Staci would like to go to the diner where she and Ranger had met. Staci agreed. When they walked in, the booth where they had sat all those years ago was available. Steph told Staci of Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Staci laughed at the thoughts of them being portrayed in that light. Oddly enough, Ranger sat with a slight grin on his face as he remembered that day.

"That is the day I was lost. I fell hard and fast for my own Eliza," he admitted.

LSLSLSLSLSLSLS

A couple months passed after that phone call. Staci got to go see Les one time in DC overnight. Ranger had some business to tend to in DC and asked her to accompany him on the drive. She spent the night wrapped in Lester's arms. It was one of the most passion filled nights for them in their short marriage. She was glad she had gotten to go.

The following week, Lester called it was the night before he was to leave the country. He wanted to talk to Ranger and Staci for a few minutes. He assured Staci everything was on track and it wouldn't be long before he was back in her arms ready to continue the rest of their lives as husband and wife. In that call he told her it was the last call before he left and he wouldn't be able to call until he returned stateside. Staci didn't want the call to end, she wanted to listen to his voice until he was home because she missed him so much. They told each other that they loved one another before he asked to speak to Ranger.

"What's up?"

"I hope to be back quickly from this mission, when I return let's take the wives to Hawaii for a few weeks."

"Sounds like a great plan."

"You have my letter for Staci in case you need it?"

"Yeah, I got it, but I am not going to need it. You're good and I will be taking care of her as always. Plus the guys are watching out for her."

"I know. Later," Lester replied.

"Later."

That was the closest to good-bye you could expect out of Ranger. He hung up the phone and went to check on Staci presuming of course she would be upset. Naturally he was right. She had found Hal, he was holding her and stroking her hair. Watching her Ranger realized what Steph had gone through all those years he would leave for a mission, his heart went out to Staci.

He opened his phone, "Tomorrow, you and Staci are going for some retail therapy and a spa day."

He closed the phone, "Staci, tomorrow you and my wife are going shopping and having a spa day."

"I cannot accept that. You hired me to do a job and that is what I need to do."

"As your boss, I am giving you that as an assignment," as he said that he gave her a look of don't argue.

Hal stood and watched as this woman argued with Ranger. What the hell? She is actually standing up to him, he thought. Hal was amazed and shocked to see this happening before his eyes. Relief flooded him when he heard her agree to go with Steph the next day. After Ranger was finished telling her about the activities for tomorrow he left.

"You do realize that was Ranger, our boss you were talking to? Ya know the one who has had people shipped off to third world countries for less?"

"Yep, I know. If I disappear will you come find me or at least make sure I have more than one MRE and dental floss? Hopefully he will attribute it to stress and depression and show me mercy."

"That was impressive by the way."

"Thanks. I think I am going to mine and Les' apartment. Maybe I can hide there until he forgets."

"He doesn't forget, but on rare occasion he does forgive. You're safe. Come on Daisy." Hal replied as he picked up Daisy's leash.

The three of them walked to the apartment Staci and Les resided in. Hal got out a pot to make spaghetti for them and Ram. A short time later, the three were piled up on the couch watching The Expendables. Staci didn't mind she loved Statham and Stallone. After the movie was over she felt herself being carried to bed, she woke enough to see Hal. He had gently taken her shoes off and placed her in the bed. Ram had been in the room and pulled the covers back for them. Once she was settled the men quietly left the apartment.

The next day was going to be fun for the women, Ranger had every intention of seeing to it. He told Manny to get Boston Cremé doughnuts for the women for breakfast but take them to Staci's apartment. After the contraband was consumed they were to be escorted to the mall to shop. Manny agreed to be their chauffeur. At thirteen hundred hour he was to have them checked in at Winding Roads Day Spa. The ladies received a full body massage along with manicures and pedicures. Staci was brave and had her legs waxed so did Steph. Manny sat quietly in the lobby waiting on the women to finish their spa day. While he waited the receptionist made small talk with him. He learned her name was Jenna, she liked to bowl, go to art museums and read. They exchanged numbers and planned on possibly going out in a few days.

He and Jenna hit it off, both had similar likes. She was short just over five foot tall but very athletic. They were a mismatch in the height area but neither minded. Manny loved her bubbly personality and could listen to her talk all day. Her voice was perfect for working at a spa, very soothing. By the time he left he had made up his mind, he was calling her later that evening.

Staci and Steph were finished around the eighteen hundred hour, both ladies were buffed, polished, waxed and ultimately relaxed. They would make the short drive back to Rangeman to get ready for dinner. Ranger had planned on taking them to dinner at Oliver's an upscale Greek restaurant.

Dinner was delicious but Staci felt like a third wheel. Ranger and Steph only had eyes for each other and basically paid attention to each other. By the time they were finished Staci felt miserable, it made her miss Les all the more. She knew they were not trying to make her feel bad, it was just the way they were. It wouldn't have been so bad if she had Hal or Ram with her.

When she got home, she undressed, went to bed and cried herself to sleep. What had started out as a wonderful day ended up making her sad. Daisy curled up next to her mom trying to comfort her and be her nursemaid.

Sometime during the night she felt the bed dip, but was far enough under in sleep she didn't full wake to know what was going on. In the morning she woke to find Ram on the bed with a fleece throw over him.

"Good morning Mr. Ramsey, what are you doing here?"

A very sleepy Ram replied, "I came to check on you last night around ten and you were already in bed. You were talking in your sleep to Les, it sounded like a bad dream so I stayed in case you needed me."

She got out of bed and tucked the throw back in around him. After making her way to the kitchen, she started a pot of coffee and started cooking breakfast. As it was finishing up, Ram came in the room.

"Smells delicious."

She poured him a cup of coffee, "We have bacon, eggs, toast and honey." With his plate prepared she sat it in front of him. Nobody had to tell him twice to eat.

"What is on your schedule?" she asked him as they finished eating.

"I need to report in at noon today and work until eight tonight. Are you in at nine?"

She nodded that she was as she was finishing her own breakfast. "I need to shower and get ready for the day."

Ram rinsed the plates before placing them in the dishwasher for her, "Thank you for breakfast. I'll see you later."

Staci reported to work at oh nine hundred, immediately the phone started ringing off the hook, she would be glad when Kellie was back. The call volume had been steadily going up over the months as clients made referrals to their friends and family members. A promotion of a hundred dollars off a month for a year for a referral who signed probably helped. She liked the busy days since it helped keep her mind off of Les even though she wondered about him different times during the day.

In the evening hours, Staci walked Daisy for three miles, most of the time Ram or Hal accompanied them other times Steph and Ranger walked with them. Daisy was getting plenty of exercise, she had gotten used to running of the morning with Les and Ranger, after Lester left Ranger would get Daisy of the mornings so she could still run. Deep down, Ranger enjoyed the dog, she kept up and never asked questions.

This evening Hal was with her and Daisy. As they walked they talked about work and the call volume, she told him she was thankful the calls were flowing in. With the amount of estimates for service it wouldn't be long before they would need to add more staff to the sales department they guessed. "Maybe I'll even get help in research," she finally admitted. While they walked they decided to nullify the productivity of their walk by ordering pizza for dinner, it was Staci suggestion saying she needed the grease. Hal laughed at her while looking up the number for Pino's or Shorty's. As they walked back Hal placed an order for delivery from Shorty's so it would be there when they got there hopefully.

With the care Hal and Ram showed Staci, Ranger felt if something were to happen to Les, heaven forbid, she would be in good hands. Both men were very attentive to her and watched out for her at all times hopefully nobody would ever have to see how attentive they could be.


	21. Chapter 21

Not mine. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, it means a lot. Rainbow, thank you for your help.

Tissue warning.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 21

A couple weeks passed, Staci had been told by Ranger that Les had checked in and everything was fine. She was dealing with him being gone and had even taken to driving his beloved Challenger a couple days a week to keep everything working on it.

Stephanie came to the area where Staci was working to tell her that Ranger wanted to talk to her. As she left her post, Stephanie forwarded the phone to voice mail for Staci and let Kellie know. A couple moments later she entered the office with Staci and a concerned Ranger.

"Staci, I just wanted you to know, Lester missed his check in this morning. Please don't get upset yet. He will probably check in later today, that sometimes happens. The only reason I am telling you now is you have grown to rely on hearing about these check ins every Wednesday, but again right now, there is no need for concern."

A blank faced Staci sat there a moment before nodding that she understood. "You will let me know when you hear something?"

"I promise."

Staci went back to her desk, that was in Lester's office and started doing more research on a skip Rangeman would be going after. Luckily they were busy that day so her mind stayed occupied until lunch time.

For lunch she opted to take Daisy on a walk around the block and get some exercise and hopefully when she got back Les would have checked in. Before going back to her desk, she grabbed a sandwich and water out of the fridge. The rest of the day passed and still nothing from Lester.

Staci tried to remain positive that Les was okay and there was a reason why he had not checked in. On Friday, she got her answer.

Before she got to her desk Ram came in the office, "Ranger needs to see you stat."

A sense of dread came over her as well as a sense of hopefulness. Ram walked with her to Ranger's office. In the office she took a seat as Ranger motioned for her to do. He handed her a letter. "What's this?"

"Please open it and then I will explain."

Her heart sank when she saw it was Lester's writing on the envelope addressed to _'Pea'._

She drew in a deep cleansing breath and centered herself before opening it. Deep down she knew it was bad.

 _Sweet Pea,_

 _If you are reading this it means something went wrong. I'm sorry that I won't be coming home to your beautiful face and smile. Please remember I did everything I could to come home to you and make a family with you._

 _Pea, you changed my life for the best, you filled my heart the way no other woman could. I love you with all my heart. The best decision I ever made was the day I made you my wife._

 _I hate leaving you this way, my plan had been to grow old with you and spoil our grandchildren down the road. Please move forward with your life. Please don't pine for me. I don't want my death to be a pit you never leave. I want you to be happy eventually._

 _Again, I love you._

 _Les_

The letter fell from her hands as the tears fell from her eyes. She looked to Ranger with pleading eyes wanting him to tell her this was some kind of sick cruel joke and that Lester's mission was done and he was heading home.

"I'm sorry Staci. Word came this morning that a grenade had detonated near him. He was killed instantly."

Through the tears and sobbing she asked, "What do I do now?"

"Staci his body won't be returned. We will have a memorial service for him, full military honors. Our funerals are one of the things we have planned. That way our loved ones don't have to worry. Steph and I will be here with you always. That was a promise I made to him. You can lean on the men here, they all love you. Please don't think you are alone, we are your family, have been for a while and will always be."

"Thank you Ranger. Please excuse me, but I think I want to be alone right now."

Staci got the only thing she had left as far as she was concerned at the moment, Daisy and went to the apartment she and Les had shared for a couple years. Once inside she milled about the living room, dazed and in shock. She had lost her best friend, lover and husband. She took a wedding picture off of the shelf to look at her beloved husband while the tears ran down her face making the photograph appear nothing more than a blur. How could he be gone she questioned, it wasn't supposed to be this way. We had a whole life to live yet. The more she thought the harder she cried until she was wailing. Quietly, Ram came in the room and gently pulled her to him. Startled from the contact she instantly started hitting him and screaming to let her go. After fighting him she slid down a wall, seating herself in the floor while continuing to scream why over and over.

Ram was not sure what else to do. The one who was the best at calming people was the one who _she_ was crying for. Les had a remarkable talent to calm people and surprisingly was the voice of reason on more that one occasion.

"Staci, I'm so sorry. Please let me comfort you." Ram slid down the wall beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. This time she leaned into him absorbing his comfort.

"He was a good man and a lucky one too. I think he had one of the best women out there. He never questioned if you loved him right from the first time you went out. Let me tell you a story about the first time you went out, to see Santa, remember that? You were supposed to start work on Monday, and he took you to the park to walk around and see Christmas lights." She nodded and he continued, "The guy working as Santa that night was a friend of ours. Les confessed to him that night he was going to make you his wife. He was in love with you then. All the talk about the car and house hunting, he would have done what ever you wanted just to see you happy and smiling. God, we were so wrong that night we took bets on you and him. We deserved to lose all of our money. Luckily, you forgave us."

He noticed her crying had stopped. She had fallen asleep. Apparently the stress of the day had taken a toll on her. He noticed her eyes were so puffy from the crying and her nose was red from blowing it and rubbing it because it was running. It bothered him to see her in pain but there was nothing to be done about it. Because he was holding her, he ignored his phone when it started vibrating in his pocket. He sat there not moving while she was asleep. Ranger came in the apartment pissed off because Ram did not answer until he saw what was going on.

Ram whispered, "I can't bear to disturb her."

"Stay with her. I wanted to know how she was coping. Later on, I will have dinner brought in." Ranger whispered back.

Ram sat quietly with her while she slept still sitting in the floor. He and Ranger decided not to move her for fear of waking her up. Ranger went back to his office to see what he could find out about this mission Les had gone on. It sounded to routine, only to have had it go so sideways. It wasn't adding up in his mind, if it didn't add up, something was wrong it smelled of set up.

He spent the rest of the day in his office with the door shut, nobody went near that door, not even Steph. Ranger had a lot on his plate, the death of his cousin, loss of a core team member, and the questions of that mission being off. Les was smart surely he would have noticed something he thought.

Poor Ram sat in the floor holding a woman that had just been handed the most devastating blow a wife could get for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. Slowly Staci began to stir.

"Wha...Wha...what am I doing in the floor?" She sat for a moment with a confused look on her face, "It wasn't just a bad dream was it?"

Grimly Ram replied, "Sorry Sweetie, but no it wasn't."

She sat there blankly staring into the room not sure whether to cry, scream or curl up into a ball.

"Staci, lets get you out of the floor."

Ram helped her up. Once standing she needed to take care of nature. Ram took a turn in the restroom after she finished. In the meantime, Hal brought in comfort food, all the junk food a woman could want in hopes of getting her to eat something. Steph, being Steph, could smell a doughnut a mile away, came in to check on Staci.

Steph grabbed Staci and pulled her in to her arms, together the two women cried again. Staci could tell Steph had been crying too since Steph's eyes were almost as puffy as hers.

"We got your back girl. Rangeman is a big family, and we take care of each other. You will never be alone unless you choose to be. I know Ram and Hal will follow you if you let them. Les wasn't just their co-worker he was their brother too."

As more people gathered in the apartment, Staci found herself looking for Les. In her mind he had to be in the crowd of people milling about. Sadly, he wasn't. A very somber Ranger came in the apartment, he went to his wife to hold her a little closer since he knew this could have been him on one of his countless missions before.

Staci was in a room full of people and was still alone. She sat quietly on the couch listening to various men tell stories of Lester's adventures and misadventures only she didn't truly _hear_ the stories. Staci was miles away in her own little world where Les was alive and well.

Ram sat down beside her, "Do you want some quiet time? I'll ask Ranger to have everybody leave." She nodded yes. "I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Ranger thanked everybody for stopping by and supporting Staci but she wanted to try to rest. The men filed by her each one hugging her and letting her know if she needed them just call. Ten minutes later, it was just Staci, Steph, Ranger and Ram left in the apartment.

Ranger turned to Staci, "Will you let Ram stay here for the night? I would really like it if you were not alone."

Tears began streaming down her face, finally she nodded yes. "Thank you guys."

"We are here for you. I'll have Ella clean this up in the morning. Steph and I will be here in the morning. Staci if you don't mind, I would actually like for Ram to stay with you until after the memorial service at least, would that be okay?"

Again she gave him a single nod and nothing more.

The group knew tonight would be super hard on her. Steph asked her if she wanted to have Bobby give her a light sedative to help her sleep, she declined. Ranger and Steph gave her a hug and reminded her if she needed them or changed her mind about the sedative to let someone know.

Once it was just her and Ram in the apartment, she went to change into her pajamas. She had taken to wearing one of Lester t-shirts to sleep in while he had been gone. Before she went to lay down she took Ram a blanket and pillow so he could sleep on the couch.

Not long after he turned out the lights he heard her crying again. He went in the bedroom and laid down beside her.

"SSSSHHHHH, come here." She crawled across the bed to him. "You will be alright, it is going to be fine."

He decided to put his beautiful singing voice to use. Softly he sang Vince Gill's Go Rest High on that Mountain. "I know your life on earth was troubled. And only you could know the pain. You weren't afraid to face the devil, You were no stranger to the rain."

He stopped, he couldn't sing anymore without breaking down himself. She didn't need that at the moment. He couldn't believe that his friend and brother was gone. Quietly he continued to lay there and listen to this heartbroken woman cry. He tried his best not to let her know he was crying too.

It was decided to hold the memorial service on Sunday. At thirteen hundred hour Saint Teresa's Cathedral was packed mostly with ex-military and several from Trenton PD. Lester had been well liked in the circles he moved. In the family section Staci was seated with Lester's father, Mateo, and Lester's grandfather, Lucian on her right while Ram remained by her on her left side. Ranger and Steph were seated in the row behind her with several other cousins and Rangeman staff.

Several of the guys spoke telling 'safe Lester stories', a few of them had to have worked at cleaning them up. Staci smiled she knew her husband could have a potty mouth every so often. Ranger was the last to speak.

"Lester Mateo Santos, God he could be a pain, but he was my cousin, my brother and one of my best friends. My best memory of him was the first time he had gone to Biscuits n More, he came in babbling about some woman at the drive-thru window. I knew then, my cousin was in love. His life soon revolved around her, she became his world and likewise he became hers. It hurts me that it was cut short. Questions will remain, would they have stood the test of time? Would he have been a great dad? How long before he drove her crazy? How much more successful would he have been at Rangeman? All of these are questions we will never have the true answer to. But I can answer them because I knew him. Yes, they would have stood the test of time, and yes he would have been an awesome dad. He had already driven her crazy. And finally I could have seen him managing his own branch of Rangeman, but that will never happen. Sadly, his life was cut way to short ... Lester brother, I love you."

Staci began crying at Ranger's words. The priest dismissed them to the cemetery for graveside services. It was a gorgeous day, but who cared when you were attending the services of a beloved husband and friend. This portion of the funeral was over quickly for Staci.

Next came the being home, alone for the first time in days, it was always hard on a person especially if the individual had no blood family to rely on. Ram had been wonderful and had taken care of her, like when she collapsed in the shower. He didn't take time to admire her body, he had taken on the roll of caregiver, he took it seriously, but it wasn't the same, he knew it.

After giving her a couple days of privacy, Manny stopped to see her at the apartment. "I wanted to check on you see how you were doing."

"Coping is all I can really say. It is odd without him here and knowing he won't be back."

"The other reason I stopped by was to tell you that tomorrow if you are up to it, you have an appointment at the Winding Roads Day Spa. Compliments of Jenna. She knows you could use a break."

"That sounds nice, I am not sure I am up to it, but I will try."

Manny and Jenna had hit it off big time and had been going out a couple nights a week or at the very least at each others homes for dinner. She had gotten him to try some new recipes and he loved her cooking.

Manny's shift was about to start so he had to leave Staci. Ram had gone back to work days only so he could be with her at night. That was when the dreams came actually they were nightmares. She refused to talk about them with Ram. A few times she was sitting up in bed screaming for Lester but still dreaming, he would gently push on her shoulder and she would quieten and lay back down.

Staci left the apartment very rarely over the last couple days, but she did go talk to Ranger about having someone take her to the spa. He agreed and asked her if she was ready to come back to work. She told him no, she still had a lot of paperwork to deal with. She also wanted to go to the properties that she now owned.

"In a few days, I think I am going to see the properties Lester had and decide if I want to keep them or let them go."

"Do you want to take Ram with you?"

"No, I think I need to do it on my own. I want to try to see what he saw in these places to make him want them."

"Manny can take you to the spa tomorrow. About the properties, if you decide you don't want them, some or all, let me know. We have used a few as safe houses, I'd hate to lose them."

She agreed to let him know. After she left his office she found Manny in the break room, she told him about the agreement with Ranger letting him take her to the appointment. Manny was excited to get to see Jenna a little more plus Staci was finally going to get out of the apartment. He knew she needed to get out of the building.


	22. Chapter 22

Not mine. Thank you for all the reviews. I have had many comments on my killing Les. This is the Plum universe. Thank you Rainbow for your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 22

The next morning, Manny knocked on Staci's door. She answered it ready to go to the spa and actually looking forward to the pampering. He escorted her downstairs to the Challenger, Staci told him they needed to take it to keep everything working like Lester had asked, she also wanted to top off the gas tank. When she left, it was the vehicle she was planning on taking, she liked it better than the SUV he had bought her because she felt closer to him. The car still had his scent in it.

Jenna greeted them when they walked in. She hugged Staci and told her how sorry she was to hear about what had gone on. Staci being ever so polite thanked her and genuinely hugged her back. Jenna led her back to one of the massage rooms and told her Christine would be in shortly. On her way back through, Jenna told Christine to give Staci the royal treatment.

Once Jenna returned to the lobby, Manny greeted her properly with a mind blowing, toe curling kiss. Surprisingly Jenna didn't end up being a puddle of goo, but Manny was close. He felt the sparks. Oh yeah, he had it bad for Jenna.

Staci decided Jenna had been right, a massage was just what she needed. It helped her clear the cobwebs that had set up residency in her mind and helped her mind get out of auto pilot. While Christine had worked on her back, Staci decided that she needed to leave on Monday to travel to these properties Les had. She really wanted like she had said to Ranger 'see what Les saw in them'. Truly study them and giving them a chance before making any decisions on the dispersal of them. In the back of her mind she would probably keep the place in upstate New York after remembering Les say it was his favorite. Christine had an ultrasound machine that she used on her back and feet that vibrated as it moved over the body. It left Staci's feet feeling wonderful, she hadn't realized how much they were hurting until that point.

A couple hours later, she said goodbye to Jenna. Jenna hugged her again and told her to take care of herself and if she wanted to come back she was more than welcome.

Manny gave Jenna a quick kiss before following Staci out the door.

"You really like her."

Manny gave her a boyish grin that reminded her of Hal, "Yeah, I do. I want to have a long term relationship and I believe she could be the one for me."

"If you feel that strong, don't let go and never give up if she is the one."

The drive back into Trenton was done mostly in silence, they talked a little bit while they ate lunch. Manny noticed Staci was retreating back into herself, but he was not sure what else to say. He unfortunately didn't know her as well as Ram or Hal knew her. Before returning to Rangeman they stopped at a convenience store to top off the tank, while she was in the store she pick up a pregnancy test. She was late but expected it to be because of all of the stress she was under. She paid for the gas and test before shoving it in her purse. The last thing she wanted if she was pregnant was to have all the men watching her every move.

When she got in the car, Manny asked if everything was okay. She lied and told him yes. It was nothing really she went on to tell him, just seeing the car reminded her of Les. Naturally he understood. Manny took Staci back to Rangeman and parked the car in its assigned spot before putting the car cover back over it.

"What are you going to do with the car?" he asked and pointed to the Challenger.

"For now I am going to keep it. Les had some properties I am going to look at. I thought I would drive it."

They walked to the elevator and waited on it. Bobby stepped off and greeted them before rushing out into the garage to leave without speaking any more.

When they stepped off the elevator onto the command floor they noticed it was a buzz with people barking orders. Tank and Ranger had left in a rush. Manny asked Binkie what was going on. Stephanie had another car go off line. She on occasion had been going out bounty hunting again with Lula, this car had lasted six months.

Staci hung around the office until she learned that Steph was alright. Afterwards, she went to her apartment, a nap was sounding good at the moment. She and Daisy laid down on the bed, sleep quickly claimed both.

During her nap she had dreams of Lester. He was still alive and they were playing on the beach. She remembered his smile change to the look of horror as he went flying backwards through the air as the grenade went off. Staci jerked awake panting hard and broke out in a cold sweat. She knew she needed to get out of here. Out of this apartment and out of the building.

Maybe being away from here would be best for her, she could see the other houses and not have memories of Les. She could see something that he had enjoyed and wanted her to be happy visiting with him.

The following morning she took the pregnancy test into the bathroom before Ram woke up. She brushed her teeth and got everything set up for her shower while she waited for her results. At the end of the three minutes she had her results, just as she expected. Not pregnant. It was mixed emotions for her, part of her wanted to have something more with Les, while part was glad she was not going to be raising a child on her own.

After her shower she dried her blonde hair and tried to make herself look presentable hard to do after her crying bout in the shower. Life for her had changed dramatically over the last few weeks and it was understandable.

During her shower, Ram woke up and left a note to tell her he had gone back to his apartment to get ready for work. She took that time to start packing to leave on Monday. It was a couple days away but it would hold down on the questions if nobody saw her getting her suitcase together. She didn't have an answer for the biggest question, _When are you coming back?_ It was hard to say, her thought had been to be gone about a month to each place at least. She might stay longer at one if she really liked it and it felt like home.

Breakfast was simple this morning, cereal. She fed Daisy and took her on a long walk that way both got their exercise in for the day. To keep from disappointing Ranger she went to work this morning. She knew it would be hard to work in hers and Lester's office but it was the best place for Daisy.

At promptly nine o'clock she sat at her desk. Steph joined her in the office so she wasn't alone. A little while later Tank and Ranger came in to check to see how Staci was doing. She asked them to shut the door before speaking.

"Guys, you have all been great to me, but I am going to take some time off. I mentioned the other day that I wanted to go see the properties Les had. My intentions are to spend some quality time at each one, at least a month per place. If it speaks to me, I might stay longer or shorter just depending. Knowing I will be gone at least six months, do you want me to resign my position?"

Steph, Ranger and Tank all spoke in unison, "NO!"

"Your position here is safe along with the apartment, I would have never filled that position if it hadn't been you needing the job and I liked you," Ranger told her. "I understand the need to leave, if you want we can set you up in another office when you come back. I will put two desks in it for you and Steph. I know you have done excellent at background checks and research, not to mention payroll."

"Damn," he looked at Tank. "I will flip you to see which one of us gets payroll back."

"Chickadee, you had better come back. I hate payroll and he has a two headed quarter he uses when he flips somebody," Tank told her.

Staci watched the playful banter between the two men. She was glad to see them getting back to somewhat normal. "Tank I promise I will be back, I just can't say when. Guys, I don't want everybody knowing I am leaving, I can't handle the questions. Hal, Manny and especially Ram have been great, but I need to heal now on my own, mourn on my own and then stand on my own."

"Chickadee, we understand this has been the hardest on you. He was our brother, we were close, but your bond was special," Tank said as he pulled her to his massive chest.

She got as many searches done as she could for the rest of the day and left Hal and Ram alone since the guys were working on the plans for a take down later in the evening. It was hard for her to sit in the office but she had no choice. Working was the first sign of normalcy she had experience in a while, it felt ... better. She knew she could not say it felt great or even good, just better. The day had at least passed quickly for her. When the last call of the day came in it to her desk was Hal asking her if she would like Chinese for dinner, she agreed without thinking.

A short time later Hal came in her apartment with food in hand. As they ate she debated about asking his opinion on her departure. Finally she decided to talk to him about it.

"Hal, I think on Monday I am going to go spend some time at the properties Les owned. Ya know try to get a feel for them, see what he saw that made him think they were a good investment."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"Like I told Ranger, Steph and Tank, I was thinking about staying a month at each place maybe a little longer or shorter depending on what I think about and feel for the places."

"Are you taking Ram or myself with you?"

"Would you be hurt if I said no? It's something I need to do on my own so I can heal."

"Yes Ram and I will be hurt, but I assure you when he finds out he will understand, I know I do."

"Will you disconnect the trackers on the Challenger?"

"If you want to do this on your own, then no. Ranger would send somebody with you or have them find you. If you leave them alone so we can see where you are and that you are basically okay, it would be better."

"He would actually send someone to find me?"

"You bet your sweet ass he would. He made a promise to Lester, he won't break it. He sees that car has gone offline, Ram or I would be dispatched to find you if not both of us."

Staci nodded in understanding, she figured as much. It wasn't that she wanted to get away and didn't want anybody following her, she just wanted to be on her own. She knew she could trade the car off, but then she wouldn't be as close to Les as she felt in that car. The SUV was another option but there again, it had trackers on it too. Finally after thinking, some more she agreed with Hal, Ranger would find her. As long as they left her alone she could deal with the trackers.

"Hal please don't say anything to the others. Ranger, Stephanie and Tank know, well, and now you. I don't want the questions nor hear a bunch of 'call me if you need me's."

"Sunshine, my lips are sealed. I won't say a word even to Ram until he asks. You are keeping your cell phone I hope."

"Yep, I'm keeping it."

"I want to be able to call you if _I_ need you."

"Really Hal, you think you will need me.?"

He smiled and followed it up with a laugh, "I want to be able to worry about you. Okay?"

Now it was her turn to smile then tell him okay, "I'm also going to spend a few days with Mateo and Lucian, I haven't seen them since the memorial service. Those men have been good to us over the months and extremely supportive of me these last few weeks. Both have called me daily checking on me, they wanted me to come stay with them rather than staying in the apartment for a while I thought I needed the security of this place, now I am beginning to think it is causing me not to try to move forward. Please don't think I am calloused but I'm drowning at the moment. I have wallowed all I can."

"You need to mourn in your own time and way, not what you think is appropriate according to society. They don't know you and what you need and should not pass judgment on you," he told her as he took her hand. "I know both men adore you. Ram and I adore you too. They are good guys enjoy your visit with them. Do you want me to stay here tonight?"

"You can if you want. I'm going to do some more packing. We can watch a movie first if you want."

Hal left to get a movie he had been wanting to watch but hadn't asked her to watch it with him.

"Tremors, you want to watch Tremors.?" Staci said as she looked with indignation at the movies when he came back.

"What is wrong with it?"

"Nothing is wrong with it other than it has been called a 'B rated' film. Meaning many people thinks it sucked."

"Hey I have all of the Tremor movies, I bought the entire collection all four movies."

He achieved his goal, he made her laugh. It was something she had not done since word of Lester death. She made some popcorn while he called Ram to let him know what they were watching in case he wanted to join them.

Ram had the evening off and told them he would be over in a few. It had been Hal's plan for them to veg out in front of the television and watch all of the movies. Staci was snuggled in between both men on the couch with her head resting on Hal's shoulder. Halfway through the first one, Staci was out like a light.


	23. Chapter 23

Not mine. Thank you for the kind words in the reviews. Rainbow, I appreciate your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 23

On the following Monday, Staci started her day with the normal routine. Up at six o'clock, out the door with Daisy by six-fifteen then back in the apartment to shower and eat by seven-thirty. The rest of the day was going to be different, first off she got her period. That disappointed her, deep down she had hoped the test had been wrong. She got her shower and went through that part of her routine. Leaving the apartment, she knew she wouldn't be back for a long while, if ever. Her hope had been if she fell in love with one of the homes, she might move in.

Staci had learned in Lester's will, he had left her financially well off, she didn't need to work. She also knew she could sell some of the homes to Ranger and have more money than she knew what to do with.

As she and Daisy took the elevator down to the garage, Hal and Ram got on it with her. Looked like she had an escort. "Morning guys."

Both replied, "Morning."

Hal extended his hand to take her suitcase, while Ram took Daisy. With their free hands they took hers. "Please guys, don't make this harder on me."

Ram spoke first, "We're not trying to make it harder, we just need your strength to move forward."

"Will you please call us when you get to Mateo's?" Hal asked.

"I promise, I'll call."

They walked her to the Challenger. Ram knew why the inside of the car smelled like Les. He had seen Les spray his cologne in the car on numerous occasions. Les wore Pitbull all the time. Earlier, Ram had taken a handkerchief and sprayed the cologne on it before putting it under the passenger seat of the car, he knew it helped her still feel close to Les.

The men took the cover off the car and folded it before stowing it in the trunk with her suit case. With Daisy loaded in the car, each man took a minute to say good-bye to Staci, deep down they felt she wouldn't be back.

"I'm going to miss you and the fun we have had. Please come back to us," a visibly upset Hal told her.

"Please don't stay gone long and promise us you will call us every couple days. I need your strength," Ram told her while still holding her tight.

Tears were welled in her eyes as she looked at both men. "Guys, I love you both. I promise I will call you every other day." As the tears spilled, "I don't know if I can come back. If I do, I can't work in the office, I'll have to move offices. It was too hard the other day."

She moved back to hug both men again and found herself sandwiched between them. Neither wanted to let her go, but they knew she needed it. Finally when her tears slowed, they released her from the group hug.

Ram opened the drivers door on the Challenger, helped her buckle in and closed the door for her. They watched as she drove out of the garage and probably out of their lives forever.

Hal placed a call to Mateo, "Our girl is on her way to you. In the trunk is a bottle of cologne that was Les'. Under the passenger seat is a rag, when the scent starts to fade, spray the rag. It helps her."

"I can do that. I'll make sure she calls you when she gets here. Thank you for watching over her, I know Les would appreciate it."

As Staci drove, she thought about the house that was in Pennsylvania, it was near Mateo's but she and Les had never gone there. She didn't know why other than because she had been in college, then again they hadn't taken the time either. Maybe Mateo would go with her to this house, surely he knew something about the place.

Traffic was light as she drove to Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania to spend time with her father-in-law. She had called him after Hal to let him know she was on her way. He met her at the door. Lucian was going to arrive a little later in the day.

Mateo pulled her in for a hug as soon as she made it to the door. He thought she might have lost some weight since the funeral. "How long are you staying?"

"Would I be welcome for a week or two?"

"Good gracious child, you are welcome to stay the rest of your life. The longer the better."

"I don't want to become a bother."

"Never. You are still the daughter I never had. Papi won't want you to leave either. He will be here about lunch time."

"I've been lucky, I've gotten a dad and grandfather. Something _I've_ never had."

"What do you want to do while you are here?"

"I'd like to see the house Les had over in Colmar."

"We can go over there. It needs some work, but I think you will like it. He would stay there rather than here at my place when he came to visit. I think he didn't want me to see if he picked up some skirt when he left here."

"So you will go with me?"

"Absolutely, both of us will go with you."

"Thank you. I've never been to the house and for some reason it feels like I'm prying into Les' life."

"Sweetheart, _you_ were Lester's life, that place is just a house. You'll see."

She smiled a small smile as she thought carefully about his words. He was right. Les had always made her feel like she was his life, she knew he was hers. That thought soothed her somewhat.

Sure enough around lunch time Lucian showed up with lunch from the little diner in town. Homemade burgers, dripping with grease, ketchup, mushrooms and cheese. The homemade french fries were to die for. He knew Staci would love dessert. Included in the bag of goodies was a slice of Red Velvet Cheesecake. She wouldn't need to eat for the rest of the day. The slice of cheesecake spoke to her after eating the big lunch. Although she couldn't eat all of it, she did take a couple bites. It was like heaven in her mouth. She saved the rest for later.

Mateo moved the Challenger into the garage later in the evening for Staci. After being in the car he understood more about what Hal and Ram were doing for Staci. The car smelled like his son.

The family spent the rest of the day telling Staci about the adventures of Les as a young boy and their time in Miami. While she missed Les, Staci felt even closer to him by hearing the stories. They showed her pictures of him and allowed her to pick out ones to have copies made of. He was a gorgeous little boy and a sexy teenager. Staci was sure he had girls chasing him all the time. She asked for a copy of one picture in particular, it was of him with Ranger, Tank and Bobby all in their dark dress blues. Man; they were a handsome group.

She had to suppress a giggle of Tank with hair, short crew cut, but hair. There was nothing like a man in uniform in her mind. Ranger with short hair was sexy too, not that Ranger with longer hair wasn't sexy cause it was. Les was the one she stared at though, he caught her eye first in the picture.

Another picture caught her eye. It was one of Ranger and Les as teens leaning against an older model Trans Am, black of course. They had their gang colors on display. Again she thought both men were hot. "That one, Marie and Ricardo were not pleased with," Mateo said as he pointed at the picture. "That picture was taken just before he got told Army or jail. Carlos was in a heap of trouble but the judge gave him a choice. He was smart, he told the judge he would go enlist that day. Les went with him and as they say, the rest is history."

"His parents seem proud of him now."

"They are, at the time they were disappointed in the situation. Carlos' whole life could have been really messed up. Les was in almost as much trouble."

"Now that is a story I need to hear."

"Not tonight sweetheart, right now you need to go to bed. The elder Santos' have your back."

She looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was almost midnight. Without thinking about it she rubbed her eyes and kissed both men on the cheek. "Good night Papi, Grandpapi."

The men told her good night and watched her make her way back through the house to her room. "She is doing better than I thought she would be," Mateo spoke.

"She is being tough for us, she is a wreck inside. Did Ranger find out anything more about the mission and what happened?" Lucian replied.

Mateo shook his head no. "He was stonewalled by everybody. They won't tell him a word. He still believes something is being covered up."

"I agree and that little girl is paying the price."

The men let the conversation go and made their way to their separate rooms. Staci had listened to what was being said in the living room. They only knew what she did unfortunately.

She and Daisy curled up in bed and let sleep claim them quickly.

The following morning Staci woke to the door being opened enough for Daisy to escape. She heard Lucian's voice talking to the dog telling her to be patient while he got her collar and leash on. Her next waking moment was when Daisy bound up onto the bed and walked on her. Daisy must have enjoyed her time out since her tail was wagging the dog.

Staci scooted out from under the covers and slipped her robe on to go take care of morning business. When she returned to the bedroom there was a steaming hot cup of coffee made just the way she liked it on her nightstand. For the moment she silently thanked Mateo.

As she dressed, it dawned on her about the middle name Mateo. She had never asked about the name but all three men had shared the same middle name. After Staci dressed she grabbed the cup of coffee and walked to the kitchen. The men had set about making breakfast for them.

"Good morning sweetie. How did you sleep?" Lucian asked.

"Soundly, for the first time in weeks. Was that Lester's room when he was young?"

Mateo smiled, "Yes sweetheart, it was. I hope it was okay that I put you in that room."

"It was." She gave a sad smile before continuing, "I thought maybe it was. It seemed like I could feel his presence in there."

"My dear child, I hope you always feel his presence in that room. That is now your room anytime you stay here, if that is alright.?" Mateo commented.

"Besides going to the house in Colmar, is there anything you two need to do?" She asked as they sat down for breakfast.

"We are all yours sweetie," Lucian replied.

She sat thinking and looking at Lucian. As she studied him, she noticed his lopsided grin the twinkle in his eyes that were so Lester. The men could not deny they were related.

"There isn't really anyplace I want to go other than the house. Really I'd like to hear more stories about Les."

"Sweetheart, we have tons of Les stories," her father-in-law replied as he sat her plate in front of her.

"I do have one question I never thought about until this morning. All three of you have the same middle name. What is the significance of that?"

Her grandfather-in-law answered, "Mateo means 'gift of God'. It is the Spanish form of Matthew. My father and grandfather also had the same middle name."

"Dad and I share obviously the same name but all of the men shared that name," her father-in-law replied.

"I love the name. I'd planned on using that name if Les and I had kids. For me, Les really was a gift."

Both men held her hands as she talked about the man they grieved for.

"He supported me as I had gone through school and moved to different positions at Rangeman. The man made me feel there was nothing I couldn't do. I don't know how to go on."

Their hearts went out to her. Mateo gently spoke to her, "Sweetheart, take it one day at a time. One step at a time if need be. We will be with you always. Les is with you in your heart."

They quietly finished eating before heading out to Les' house in Colmar. The house was situated on a cul-de-sac. It had gray siding, with a two car garage on the left. A well manicured yard greeted them. She could see Les owning the place but not really living there. To her, Les was not a cul-de-sac, quarter acre kind of man.

Upon entering the house, she knew looks could be deceiving and never judge a book by its cover. While it needed a fresh coat of paint, she could see Les all over the place. From the wood beams in the ceiling of the dining room, giving it a rustic look to the over-sized master bedroom, it all said Lester.

There were pictures of him with Staci on the nightstand. She didn't realize those pictures had been taken and didn't know when they were placed in the house. It made her uncomfortable to think someone had been watching them. Unless someone else had been here, Les had to leave them there but when.

She looked on the back. Each one had dates of when the pictures were taken. They went back a long time. A few were from when they first started going out. She decided to take the pictures with her, maybe she would mention it to Ram or Hal when she talked to them.

They spent several hours in the house letting Staci move at her own pace. The men were surprised when she didn't breakdown while going through the place. Les had a few clothes there but not much else.

"What do you think about the place?" Mateo finally asked.

"It is a nice house but I don't see it ever being a home Les and I would have shared. The inside is Les but the area isn't. Plus this place creeps me out somewhat. I found these in the bedroom. Mateo, I don't know where these came from," she told him as she pulled the pictures out to show him.

He took a moment to look at them and at the backs, "This is not his writing. You didn't know these were being taken?" She shook her head no. "Do you know where all of them were taken?"

"Various places." She pointed to one, "In this one we had gone to the park to look at Christmas lights, we saw Santa that night. We had only been dating maybe a week, two tops." Pointing to another she continued, "This one we were at the grocery store. It looks like whoever took it was outside. While this one was taken one night when we went with a group to Shorty's. I guess some of the guys could have taken a few of them like this one, but something tells me that is not right."

"Sweetheart, I think you need to call Ranger. Rangeman may want to come up here and dust the place. The house gets used from time to time as a safe house, it may not be any longer."

Staci sighed and dialed Ranger. She told him about the pictures and what Mateo had said.

"Sit tight. Ram and I will be there within the hour. Let me talk to Mateo please."

She handed the phone to Mateo, "Uncle, watch over your daughter. We haven't used that house in months and as far as I know, Les hasn't been there either."

As promised, Ram and Ranger arrived in forty-five minutes.

"I'm sorry, I had put the pictures in my purse. My finger prints are going to be on there, Mateo's too."

In a calming voice Ram replied, "It is fine, we can separate yours and Mateo's out from the others if there is any. I'll try not to damage the pictures."

Ram donned gloves before touching the pictures. He carefully examined each picture looking for clues. Noting the dates, he commented that a few were taken after the last time anybody should have been in the house. "Here is something else to think about. How did they get past security? Our sensors never went off."

Ranger started moving about the house looking at the windows and the other doors for damage. "Did any of you turn off the alarm?" Ranger asked.

They looked at each other. "No, it wasn't armed when we came in," Lucian replied back to him.

Ram and Ranger continued looking for clues, damage and other evidence of who might have been in the house. It bothered both men that the alarm had not tripped nor had anybody noticed the house's alarm had not been set.

"Ranger do you need us for anything else?" Staci asked.

"Not right now, why don't you and my uncles go back to Mateo's house. We will be there in a little while."

"Papi, why don't you go with Staci and I'll catch up in a bit. I'm going to stop to grab us something for dinner," Mateo spoke.

A simple nod from Senior was enough.

Once they were gone Mateo turned to Ranger, "What is going on here?"

"Uncle, I'm not sure. Nothing is adding up. Nobody will tell me a thing in DC. They have gone as far as threatening a court marshal if I don't let it go."

"What are they covering up?"

"I don't know. Truthfully, I don't need to dust for prints, I know the writing on the back of the pictures."

"Who's is it?"

"Our handler's."


	24. Chapter 24

Not mine. I appreciate all the review that have been left for this story. Thank you Rainbow for catching my mistakes.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 24

Mateo left Ram and Ranger to do their work. The men wanted to know what failed in the alarm or if it was intentionally left off.

At the grocery store Mateo purchased things to make a healthy dinner that Ranger would eat since it would be close to supper time when he and Ram would arrive at Mateo's home.

Staci decided it must be ingrained in the staff of Rangeman to have impeccable timing. The guys arrived ten minutes before supper was ready. As they sat down at the table, nobody spoke. There was a heaviness to the air, it was thick with tension.

Finally, Staci broke that tension and spoke, "So, who wants to tell me what is going on?"

"We don't know yet," a defensive Ranger replied.

"Bullshit. The tension in this room is thick enough to cut. Tell me."

"Staci. Please bear with me and give me a chance to confirm my suspicions. I've been truthful and upfront with you. I'm not going to stop now. I just don't know."

Staci studied his face for a few moments before deciding he was sincere. "Okay. Tell me this, is it safe for me to be at that house?"

"Probably, but we would all feel better if your weren't alone there."

"Do you think the house can still be used as a safe house?"

Ranger thought for a moment, "I don't have an answer. I want to say yes but until I know exactly how and why those picture got there, I can't."

"Do you know why the alarm failed?"

"It was intentionally left off. We did lift finger prints off of the key pad. Ram will check them tomorrow morning. Is there something you want to do at the house?"

"I was going to paint it and freshen it up some."

"Please wait or take Mateo and Lucian with you."

Staci smiled before asking her father-in-law and grandfather-in-law if they would like to help. Both agreed. She had decided to keep the house since it was close to Lester's family and allow Ranger to continue using it as a safe house if need be.

"If you are going to work there, someone will be covering the outside. I want to know who was or is using the place," Ranger stated.

Mentally Staci sighed, she hadn't wanted exactly what was happening. "Please don't go to all that trouble. I won't go there alone. If I'm there and I get creeped out I'll leave."

"Staci, over the years I've told Steph what to do and it backfires on me, so I'm also going to ask this. Will you let me put bomb detecting devices on the car?"

This got her attention. "Bomb detecting devices as in for things that go boom?"

"Yeah, Staci we have past all of us including Les. Things aren't adding up in Colombia and without knowing who put the pictures in the house and such, I think it is a wise decision. It could be in retaliation for something he did long before you two met but since you are Staci Santos, you are a target."

"Do it. All of it. Who ever you want watching the place. Maybe I should go to one of the other places. I've never been to any of them," she replied using an almost defensive tone.

"Staci could I persuade you to take Ram or Hal with you, please?"

"Don't worry. She will have at least me with her," Lucian spoke. "My granddaughter will be protected."

Ranger smiled to himself. The Santos elders loved this woman. His admiration was short lived when Staci opened her mouth.

"Why would I need the detecting devices on the car if it is in the garage?"

He wanted to face palm himself but managed to speak, "Because people can break in or enter without breaking. Did you see any damage to the door of the house? No, you didn't because there wasn't any. Therefore, they can get in the garage which is not as secure as the house. While you are driving to the other residences are you going to have to stop to eat, go to the restroom, get fuel? Yes. They can follow you and put it under your car when you eyes are off of it for the moment. That is why."

Staci realized she was tap dancing on Ranger's last nerve and she needed to stop. Over the time she had been with Les, Ranger had been good to her, answered any question she had both personal and work related while never getting gruff. She knew he cared. Letting out an audible sigh the fight left her. "You win. Ram, Hal or both can tag along. Papi and grand-papi go too."

"Thank you. I only want to protect you. You were the most precious possession he had and all that remains of the little family he started. We want to keep intact what remains."

They finished eating dinner in silence, but Ranger's mind was going a hundred miles an hour. One thing he planned was to make a little trip to D.C. in the morning if they couldn't come up with anything else in the mean time. He left not long after dinner to make arrangements for a flight rather than driving.

A short time later, Ram left to return to Rangeman but not before Hal arrived with a bomb detector to apply to the Challenger. "I'll be staying with you according to Ranger till morning and then Ram will return. Afterwards, you have both of us at your beck and call while you are away from the building."

"He sent both of you to babysit me?"

"No, we both volunteered for the assignment. We missed you."

"Hal, I've only been gone a day and a half, how can you miss me that quick.?" Deep down she was flattered and surprised that she was missed.

"Ram got to see you sooner so he didn't miss you as much as I did."

Not having an answer or comment to make, she remained quiet but moved to take his hand while shaking her head at his admission. Not satisfied with holding only her hand, Hal pulled her in for a hug that conveyed how much he had missed his friend.

#######

Back at Rangeman, "Tank, my office now." Not wasting a moment the big man moved towards the baritone voice.

"Rangeman, what is up?"

"I'm going to D.C. in the morning. Something smells of a rat. Do you know why I went to Colmar?"

"No clue sir."

"Staci went to the house. It would seem someone has been in the house and left pictures of her and Les in various rooms. She knew when the pictures were taken but they were more of a surveillance type photographs not just candid shots taken at a party or such. Have you heard any chatter?"

"No, Bomber is safe and as far as I know none of our enemies knew Santos had a wife to target. Now that he is gone, she should be safe."

"I've been threatened with a court martial if I pursue this any further."

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you think I'm going to do? Our handler's writing was on each photo listing who, date, time. I'm not letting it go. Ram and Hal are with Staci until further notice. She is all that remains of that little family since she was not pregnant and I'm not losing her neither is Mateo or Lucian."

"Copy that. If anything happens, I'll drag them all here."

As much as he didn't want to tell Steph, he had to let her know he was going to D.C. in the morning. She would help him pack an over night bag even though he hoped to be back tomorrow afternoon.

When he entered the apartment he knew she was already there. She came around the corner on the phone talking to Staci, "If there is anybody who can get to the bottom of it, its Ranger. I'm sure he will do everything he can to find out what happened to Les. He just walked in the door so let me go talk to him." He stood quietly listening to her side of the conversation.

As much as he wanted to ease into telling her of his morning jaunt to D.C. by kissing her senseless, he opted to tear the band-aid off so to speak. "Since you just got off the phone with Staci you know I'm going to D.C. in the morning."

"I do and I understand why to. Does she have someone after her?"

"According to Tank, neither one of you do. There has been no chatter on the streets, nothing beyond the borders either. I presume she told you what she found in the house."

"She did. It is unnerving to think those pictures were in there and not put there by them. Any ideas?"

"It was our handler's writing on the back of the pictures. What is your gut telling you?"

"You need to be on that plane in the morning. What time are you leaving?"

"Oh eight hundred."

Before retiring to the bedroom for the night, Ranger made sure his uniform had all the medals pinned and was ready to go while Steph packed his overnight bag. "Why are you wearing your uniform."

"A reminder to them. There is a reason why there are all these medals hanging here and if they don't want me to walk, they will answer my questions. If I walk, so do all my men."

"He is missed by everybody."

"Yes he is. Staci the most. I even miss the ass."

The following morning, Major Ricardo Carlos Mañoso walked in the pentagon and directly to his handler's office. "Is he in?" He asked Janell Walker, Colonel William Steele's secretary.

"He is. He is expecting you."

As Ranger walked in the door, Colonel Steele met him. "Major, how can I help you?"

"I want all the information on Santos' mission. What went wrong?"

"Nothing went wrong Major. He was caught in the wrong place."

"Colonel, have you every heard the old saying if it quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck?"

"Mañoso, I can't give you what I don't have."

"You have something. If you don't then why were you in Lester's house in Pennsylvania? Staci found the pictures of them together. _Tell me what I want to know."_ Typically Ranger didn't lose his temper but he could feel his it starting to boil since his danger tone was starting to escape with the last sentence.

The Colonel sighed before rubbing his forehead. "He knew you would come to see me if things went sideways. This was to be his last and he didn't want to go. I guess he felt it was time for all of you to retire since your lives were all changing so much." Ranger stood in silence since he knew the Colonel wasn't done talking. "I have something else to give to you. It is a letter for you."

The Colonel went to his desk drawer to retrieve it. "Hopefully this answers all your questions and those of Staci's."

 _Primo,_

 _I guess if you are reading this I didn't make it back to Staci or you. You would probably like for me to be there now so you could kill me. Sorry, bad joke. I presume Staci found the pictures I ask the Colonel to place in each home so she would feel me there when she went to see them. Nobody is looking for her now, she is safe._

 _I knew going in I had very little hope of coming back, but I went anyways. My hope and prayer was that I would defeat the odds as we have done before. Apparently it didn't work out that way._

 _Just know if I hadn't gone the world for our future kids would not be as safe. Hopefully, Staci is pregnant with my child, it was my goal last night anyway. At least then part of me would still be with MY LIGHT. That was the hardest part leaving her and our life we were building. It started off different and what stories we would have been able to tell our kids and grands down the road._

 _Please take care of her, encourage her to move forward with her life. Take her to Hawaii like we talked on the phone it was a dream trip for her. Ram or Hal would make a wonderful mate for her and dad to our child._

 _Do the best possible thing for your family, retire, enjoy Beautiful and the life you can have together. It is my only regret._

 _Les_

"He took a suicide mission?"

"Yeah, he had less than a twenty percent possibility of return. Major, go home and take care of your family and his. Your cousin is gone."

Ranger folded the letter and slipped it in his uniform before shaking the Colonel's hand and saluting him. Slowly he exited the building and stopped taking in his surroundings.

It was the first time in a while that he had questioned everything. If it had been him walking away from Steph and his life knowing he was leaving the only thing that mattered to him, would he have done it? He didn't know. His life was great at the moment outside of the loss of Lester.

He had a highly successful company, beautiful wife, peace and the rest of his family. Les was right his life was perfect and time to retire. He thought the others would agree that it was time to be done, he'd talk to them when he returned home and that couldn't happen soon enough. Lester's death was a wake up call to him and hopefully the others. He knew at the moment his emotions were raw but he planned on talking to all the others with wives to take a look at Staci's pain and retire.

Lost in those thoughts Ranger for a change slowly drove back to the airport to return back to his light.


	25. Chapter 25

Not mine. We are quickly drawing to a close. After this one there are only 4 more left. Thank you to everybody who has stuck with me on this journey. Thank you Rainbow for catching my errors.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 25

Later that day, Ranger returned home to a waiting Steph. "What did you learn?"

"Sit down please." Ranger waited for Steph to take a seat. "I learned a few things. Les took a suicide mission, he knew going in he wouldn't be back he had less than a twenty percent chance of return. He left a letter for me, but I want Staci to read it before I let anybody else and only if she agrees to it. I think I want to retire at least from the government. We haven't had any threats against us in a long time and I want to keep it that way."

"I'm all for you retiring, I wish Les had walked away sooner too. Talk to the other core team guys and get their thoughts."

Ranger knew what they would do. Bobby's life was going great he was still with the nurse from the hospital and it was getting serious since he and Les had been looking at engagement rings for Jennifer before Les left. Tank was trying to rebuild his life since his divorce from Phoebe and was starting to date some thanks to Staci introducing him to Denise at hers and Les' wedding. So Ranger felt certain his second in command would also agree to retire. There were a few others he suspected would join him in that decision, Hal and Ram being the another two biggies.

"When are you going to talk to Staci and Les' dad?"

"Tomorrow maybe the day after. I've got a lot to process myself and I'm not sure Staci is ready for this bombshell. How could he have walked away from her? She had been all he has thought about for the last two years. I got answers but I have more questions now. Staci has started to say she doesn't believe he is dead. She says she doesn't feel that he is gone."

Steph was shocked as to how much Ranger was talking, but he needed to get a lot off of his chest. "Would I be able to help if I read the letter?"

"I really wanted Staci to read it before anybody else, but maybe you will glean something out of it I didn't. Here." Against his better judgment he handed Steph the letter Lester had left in DC.

Stephanie carefully read the letter two times trying to see what she could get from it, before carefully folding it and laying it on the coffee table in their living room. She quietly sat there waiting on Ranger to come back out of the bedroom since he had stepped away to change clothes. As she thought she sighed, the tone of the letter told her he was hoping to beat the odds or keep Staci safe.

A few minutes later Ranger came back in the living room dressed in a sleeveless t-shirt and basketball shorts. She surmised he was going to go for a run to think.

"It sounds to me like he had someone after him or her. His comment on 'Nobody is looking for her now', seems like there was someone threatening her. He was hoping the Rangeman luck would be with him."

"I know. I want to dig in this more and see who he was going after. It crossed my mind that when her trailer was shot up that maybe this is somehow connected to that incident even though I don't see why or how. It was never solved and they weren't directly involved or there when all of it happened. We thought it was drug related since the trailer next door had suspicious activity," Ranger surmised.

"I remember. Luckily, she and Les had came here that night when he saw that deal going on."

Dialing Tank's number Ranger made the decision to tell the big man about the letter. Maybe it would be better if Staci didn't know of its existence for a while until he had perhaps a few more answers. A few minutes later there was a knock at the apartment door.

Tank didn't wait on one of them to open the door after the knock and fobbed his way in. "You wanted to see me boss."

"Yeah, I got this from Steele. It answers some of the questions but gives me a whole bunch of new ones in their place." Ranger spoke as he handed Tank the letter.

Tank read the letter carefully taking in the words as he went. "It sounds like he knew what he was getting into from the start. But why would someone be after him, you have more enemies than he had?"

"That my friend is what we need to find out. For now we are keeping the security detail on Staci until we know everything."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but for now I wouldn't let her see that letter. I think it would only hurt her at the moment. She is still too raw from everything."

"After reading his letter and the life I have now, I think it is time for me to retire. Hopefully you and Bobby will follow suit along with some of the others."

"I might stay in for a while longer but Bobby has been debating for a while now. He really wants to possibly settle down with Jennifer. I'm not in the same situation now, even though things are good with Denise and I have decided I could care for her a lot down the road."

"I knew Bobby had been looking at rings, but I didn't know if he had purchased one yet."

"Yeah, he's got a ring and it waiting on the right time, probably over the summer. Are you going for a run?"

"I am. Wanna join?"

"Meet you in the lobby in ten."

Once Tank left Ranger turned to Steph, "You understand that there is a possibility that whoever coerced Les into taking that mission may come after me once I tell my handler that I'm retiring?"

"It crossed my mind while you and Tank were talking. Ranger, I agree with Staci, Les isn't dead or at least I believe her. They have a connection like what we have. I was told on a couple of your missions you were killed. I didn't feel it and didn't believe it. Turned out, I was right, you were very much alive. Believe her and keep digging. I would tell you to enjoy your run, but I expect you are going to be doing a lot of thinking."

He kissed her, "Babe, you know me all too well." After taking in her beauty for another moment, he disappeared out the door. His decision on retiring was finalized after he looked at her. He never wanted to risk losing his time with her.

Steph sighed at the thoughts of what Staci was enduring at the moment. She knew the pain she had gone through on all of Ranger's mission. The missions when she was told he was dead were the most brutal.

As Steph thought over the whole situation she went to assume her thinking position, she wondered what she could do to help her friend. Hoping for clues, she read Lester's letter a third time. _No one is after her,_ stuck in Steph's mind. It was the only thing abnormal to her.

She knew Tank was right, Ranger had more enemies than the others combined. So why would someone go after Les? Another thought came to mind maybe he was the first and Ranger was right someone might come after him when he told his superiors he wanted to retire. Then again, they could come after him regardless along with the others on the team.

Eventually, Steph drifted off to sleep.

Ram had done as Ranger ordered, the bomb detector was on the car. If anybody came near the car, alarms would go off and disable the car not allowing it to start.

With everything being suspicious, Ram nor Hal took their eyes off of Staci for a moment. It wasn't lost on Staci that as they entered or exited a building the men surrounded her, including her father-in-law and grandfather-in-law.

In a matter of a few days, Staci was feeling smothered. Once they were settled in either Mateo's or the house in Colmar for the night, Ram and Hal relaxed.

The painting on the house had gone well. Staci kept the colors the same but freshened it up. On the day she had finished the last room, Hal was outside mowing. Ram had gone to Rangeman for some other equipment since they noticed a malfunction in the security system for the garage.

Neither man told Staci about the problem, but they disabled the Challenger just in case until they had time to look the car over properly.

While she had been staying with her father-in-law and grandfather-in-law she was getting more spoiled. Daisy was too for that matter. She could only imagine how they would have been if she had a baby.

Heaven help me if I had been pregnant and had a son, she thought one day. A lone tear escaped as she thought about a little boy with Lester's skin tone, her blonde hair, Lester's eyes and nose. The child would have been a heart breaker when he got older. The girls wouldn't know what hit them. She could imagine Les saying, "That boy is going to get all the pussy he will ever want." She smiled and shook her head at that thought.

In her bedroom, she looked at a picture of Les. It was taken one afternoon at a picnic. He was getting in the Challenger, the door was open and he was standing there with his arm on top of the window and the other on top of the car. His smile was blinding. She turned her attention to another one of him. It had been taken in the gym at Rangeman one morning not long before he left for his mission. He was being a smart ass and giving her a 'gun show', by flexing his biceps. "Baby, these guns can carry you back to the apartment and I could give you a different type show." She realized that was the last picture she had taken of him. More tears escaped her eyes.

Standing at the door to the bedroom was Ram, not sure what to do to help her, he cleared his throat. "I'm back."

Staci sat the last picture of Les on her nightstand and smiled at Ram, "That was the last picture I had taken of him before he left. Ram, when I look at picture of him, I feel that he is not dead. I'd know it. Something isn't right."

"Come here." He took her in his arms. "I know it isn't easy and there is nothing Hal or I can do to easy your pain, but you are not alone. As long as there is breath in my body, I'm not leaving."

She stood there taking comfort in Ram's embrace. When her tears subsided, "Where did you go?"

He needed to decide if he was going to tell her the truth or lie. Ram opted for the truth, "There was a malfunction on the system in the garage, I needed to go to Rangeman to get the parts to replace it."

Staci hadn't seen Mateo or Lucian for a couple days, they had to go to Philadelphia for two days to tend to rewriting their wills. The men had decided to leave everything they had for Staci since Les wasn't around any longer. They were going to be home later that evening. Staci planned on spending the day with them tomorrow.

She had learned to make a few of the dishes they loved to eat. Tomorrow she was going to make them dinner. Her phone rang, she had set up a special ringtone for Mateo, so she knew it was him. "Hi Papi."

"Hi Sweetheart. I wanted to let you know we were home. We are coming up in the early afternoon tomorrow to see you."

"I am looking forward to it. The painting is done. I finished it earlier today."

"I can't wait to see it."

They spoke a few more minutes before Hal came in the house. Once he finished the mowing he used the weed eater and then the edger to trim around the concrete sidewalk. Slowly the house was becoming a showplace outside and in.

Hal went to shower while Staci made dinner and Ram replaced the faulty equipment in the garage. A short time later they sat down to dinner. None of them were in a particularly talkative mood.


	26. Chapter 26

Not mine. Thank you for the reviews. We are quickly drawing to a close on this story. I hope everybody has enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Thanks Rainbow.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 26

Six months had passed since Ranger had gone to DC. Over that span a few more details had emerged but nothing concrete that he could use to gain more purchase on Lester's death. He was still hitting dead end after dead end. The government had at least stopped the threat of court marshal.

The remaining members of the core team tenured their retirements to their handler Colonel William Steele, he was not happy. Later in the day he became even more pissed when Stephen Ramsey and Hal Thompson faxed over their retirement paperwork as well since they didn't want to have to leave Staci. He was losing five of his best assets in one swoop. "Damn Santos. I shouldn't have blackmailed him for that assignment," he whispered to his empty office.

With all of his best assets retiring, he decided he would leave his post as well, since in his opinion he nobody else to fuck with. He had established on paper that Les was a different man and not a good one.

After being gone for the last six months, Staci returned to Rangeman. Out of those months, five of them was spent in Colmar and with her father-in-law and grandfather-in-law. She had enjoyed her time with the elder Santos men. The two of them didn't want their daughter-in-law to leave but they knew she needed to look at the other houses and return to work.

Staci only went to the house in upstate New York. When she arrived there, she didn't even go in. Les had been right, she fell in love with the place just like he had. In her soul, she just wasn't ready to cross the threshold to that place. Hal and Ram walked behind her after she bundled up in a warm coat and scarf. She strolled around the grounds taking in the small lake that the house over looked. Staci knew there were ten acres to this property but she had no idea how big ten acres was.

The log cabin with the full glass front beckoned to her, wanting her to come in and stay a while. She knew if she did, she wouldn't leave … ever. This was the house Les had intended on retiring to when he was finished with the government and Rangeman. As she stood in the driveway looking at it, tears streamed down her face. She knew the man she loved with her whole heart would never get to live that dream. The wrap around front porch already had two rocking chairs and a porch swing sitting on it. In her mind she could imagine Les sitting in the rocking chair bitching about something, then later joking about something else. She smiled internally at that image.

Ram finally moved beside her and wrapped his arms around her then softly talked to her, "Sweetie, you are not ready. Lets take you back to Trenton. Someday you will come back here and be ready for it. He loved it here. I have been here a couple times with him. The house is just as gorgeous inside as it is out. He would come here and work on it. It was his place to relax and tell the world to kiss his ass."

Thankfully her being upset kept him from telling her he had received a text from Ranger requesting she be brought back to Rangeman ASAP. Staci spent another thirty minutes looking at Lester's dream before leaving. Later that day they arrived back at Rangeman. Ram and Hal were called into Ranger's office upon their arrival and after they got Staci settled into her apartment.

"Guys we need to keep Staci here for the foreseeable future. I received an assignment, per a new handler, it is my last and I don't like it." He pushed the folder to them to open. "It goes without saying, I didn't tell you to look at this file. You took it upon yourselves. I am going to get a cup of coffee."

The men opened the file after he left the office. Their faces fell when they saw the photograph. Both men sat in disbelief until their boss returned.

"Don't tell her. No one is to mention it to her. She doesn't need to know. I am supposed to eliminate him. I'm not about to do that. There is some reason he didn't come back. I intend on finding out why. Myself, Tank and Bobby are leaving in the morning. We are rescuing him, he needs to be here. Staci was right, he wasn't dead." Ranger looked again at the picture of Les once he resumed his seat at the desk. He had a small scar on his cheek but other than that he hadn't changed.

"Does Bomber know?" Ram asked.

"No and she is not to find out either. Outside of the core team, you two are the only other ones to know."

"How are we supposed to keep her here? She is doing better, wanting to work, but she still wants to spend a lot of time with Lucian and Mateo working on the house in Colmar. Lucian dotes on her so much." Hal pointed out.

"She can go there but you two are going with her. I agree Lucian loves her Mateo too. Neither of the men couldn't take losing her too. Lucian and Mateo don't know about this either." Ranger replied. "Just keep her occupied. The other three offices are going to send her requests trying to keep her busy."

Hal asked a follow up question, "Should we bring Lucian and Mateo here for their safety?"

"No they should be alright, it might tip them off if you do. If it changes then of course bring them here. It really shouldn't take us long. Men take care of his woman. I'm bringing him home."

They left Ranger's office to plan how to keep her busy while Ranger studied the file more. "What have you gotten yourself into primo?"

The file said Ranger was to go after Dom Rodriguez, but he knew Les when he saw him. He was interrupted when Tank and Bobby came in the office.

Bobby spoke first, "Do you think we should go ahead and leave tonight?"

"We will leave first thing in the morning." Ranger stated without taking his eyes off of the photograph of Les.

Tank gave his opinion, "I agree with Bobby. I'd like to get there and get out as quickly as possible especially since it is not a sanctioned rescue mission. If the government doesn't know we are going and Les doesn't know we are coming or if he does, when we are coming, we are better off."

Ranger steepled his fingers thinking, "The government knows I'm going, just not you two. They think I am going to kill him. I don't think they realize who he is or if they did they wouldn't have sent me. They have him as Dom Rodriguez. Nobody has looked carefully at the picture. Yeah he has a scar now, but it doesn't change him that much."

"Ranger I'm just saying we are better off with the element of surprise especially with him."

"You two go pack, I'll let you know what I decide." After they left the office, he read over the file again.

Drug trafficking, extortion and human trafficking they weren't something Les would be involved in. Ranger knew the cartel couldn't have bought Les off. He had a wife he wanted to be home with and he wanted to start a family with her as well.

Tank and Bobby went to Tank's office. They didn't need to go pack, they had already done it.

"Do you think he will go ahead and leave earlier?"

Tank ran his hands down his face, "I don't know, but I'd like to get this show on the road. We need to plan how we want to approach the compound once we get there."

"How long do we give him before we go back to his office?" Bobby asked after he stretched out in the chair across from Tank's desk.

"I don't know. It is hard to say in this situation. Usually I can read him like a book even with that famous blank face of his, but today I can't."

Bobby shifted in the chair, "I'd like to know what happened there. Something wasn't right when all of this took place and now it is even worse."

"Well obviously he survived the blast _if_ , and that is a big if now, there was a blast."

Still fidgeting Bobby commented, "He got the scar somewhere."

"If you look at it, it could be from a knife. It doesn't look like something from a blast but more like a knife wound. Lets go talk to Ranger see what he has decided."

The men weren't surprised when the found Ranger's office empty. They knew he had gone to grab some gear. After going back to Tank's office for their gear they decided it was best to be waiting in his office. They knew their boss, his love for his cousin and his desire to have his family home.

In light of not knowing exactly what had happened to Les, Bobby had some limited medical supplies with him. He wouldn't be able to do major surgery on any of them but worst case scenario he could knock Lester's ass out so they could get him out of there.

When Ranger returned from the penthouse he went over his plan. Ranger had formulated a plan of taking the cargo plane with his Navistar Defense MaxxPro Plus to do the job. It was armor plated designed to deflect IEDs away from the crew and with its weight and design he felt he could destroy the compound if need be.

He had gotten some satellite images of the compound and knew the gates at the entrance were wooden. Weighing in at fifty three thousand pounds he felt the gates would be toothpicks against the truck. He had the front bumper reinforced with extra steel to withstand the impacts he thought the truck might endure during its life with him not that he had ever needed it until now.

As he went over his plan with the others, they realized he was thinking with his heart rather than with his mind and the need to get his cousin back.

"You know bossman this isn't your best plan.?" Tank admonished.

"I know it isn't, but if we go in under the cover of darkness it could work. The light bar is blinding launch out a few flash bang grenades find his ass and get it out of there."

Bobby scratched his chin, "You never go anywhere with guns blazing, why are you wanting to now?" Ranger looked at him like a kid who had his favorite toy taken away. "We need to scout out what it is like and what we need to do. See if we can get him outside of the compound. We go in with your plan, he will be dead."

Ranger hung his head, he knew they were right, he was letting his heart overrule his head. "Lets see what we have and formulate a plan from there. By the way we are leaving now. The truck is already loaded. Hal is waiting on us in the garage."

The cargo plane was waiting outside the hangar. Ranger had bought the plane a couple years ago used from the government. He left most of it alone, but had an area near the cockpit remodeled so the men could travel in more comfort than if they were seated lining the exterior walls of the cargo bay.

With a stop in Miami to refuel, they made it to Venezuela in a few hours. Once on the ground they unloaded the monstrosity of a truck and stowed all of their guns and ammo before taking off.

They had finalized a plan of going to Santiago via Venezuela. Landing in Venezuela and going across the border seemed like the safest plan. They could make the short drive to Santiago.

The town had a small population. Jobs would be scarce and the drug trade would thrive. That could give them a whole different set of problems. If people were working for the cartel, the moment Ranger and the guys set foot in the town, the cartel would know. But on the flip side if people were _forced_ to work for the cartel they may not be as inclined to report what they saw.

Tank suggested they avoid going into Santiago if at all possible. It could easily be done since the compound was on the outskirts.

They parked the truck in a heavily wooded area and covered it with a camo tarp. While it could be seen if it was looked for it wasn't obvious. From there they walked the two miles to the compound. As they got closer they found some trip wires for various defense items. One was a log that would be released from the trees another release a trap door into a pit.

They knew from the looks that Les had installed all of it. After getting them disabled they moved closer to the camp. Les was not usually a night owl but they soon discovered there was zero activity around this facility. Maybe things had changed for him since he had been gone. They kept watch anyway.

A few hours later four trucks came in with people loaded in the cab and in the bed. One of them driving was Les. They watched their friend scan the wood line, he paused when he saw them. If he realized they were there for him he gave no indication.

The three men learned the camp had been occupied. As the men, presumably workers, washed their hands, women began pouring out of the building carrying food. A serving line formed as the men went down the line with plates being filled with food. Eventually all of the people were eating. Tank estimated there were approximately fifty people total.

After the meal was consumed, the women began clearing dishes away. The men loaded back into the trucks returning to the fields where they were working. It didn't look like the people were being forced to work, bad news for Ranger, Tank and Bobby. As the last truck left the compound it circled up towards them. It stopped near them.

A man yelled, "There is food here for you."

They watched him set the plates on a tree stump before returning to the cab of the truck. Bobby commented to the others that Les was in the passenger seat. After the truck left, Tank retrieved the food. Most of it was fruit, but there was also chicken and corn. Three bottles of water had also been left. After closer inspection they consumed the water. All three wanted the food since it was better than the MREs they had with them but they didn't dare since it could be poisoned.

After that incident they decided they had a challenge before them. How to hide so they weren't spotted by someone. Tough since he thought like they did.

"Do you think he recognized us?" Bobby asked the others.

Both men pondered the question before Ranger spoke, "Part of him did. I think it was him who sent the food."

Tank thought a bit longer, "I know he saw us before they ate. Hell he looked right at us, but there was no slight nod or anything to let us know he knew it was us."

Bobby sat a moment longer thinking, "Do you think he wanted away from his life in Trenton?"

Without hesitation Ranger responded, "No, the tone of that last letter said he wanted to be with Staci. He loved her too much. If he had taken her and disappeared I'd have a different reply."

"I agree with Ranger. If he wanted away from Trenton he would have gone to New York. Lets just stay put."

Activity went back to the way it was before lunch. Non-existent. Closer to dusk the trucks returned again. The men went through the same actions like earlier, the women appeared with food again.

The core team was watching what was happening in the compound intently enough they didn't hear the approaching vehicle. As it stopped a man rolled the window down. "Master Rodriguez has invited you to dinner."

"Maybe this will be easier than we thought." Bobby commented.

"No this has scouting the competition all over it." Ranger replied then added, "Les wants to see who is out there and figure out how to stop them."

Tank volunteered, "I'll go and if something goes wrong get my ass out of there."

Ranger nodded, "See if he recognizes you. Then try to get him alone. Bobby give Tank a syringe maybe he can knock Les out."

Tank held up a finger to the man in the car indicating for him to wait a minute. He knelt like he was retying his boot and slipped the syringe in a pocket on his pants. The other two watched their friend and coworker get in the car with the stranger.

A/N: I had a few comments about me 'killing' Les. Les is the fictional version of my husband (except Les has more muscles). There was no way I could ever kill Les.


	27. Chapter 27

Not mine. I want to thank everybody for the wonderful reviews you have left. Thank you. Rainbow you rock.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 27

Tank was taken to the compound. Once inside he began the arduous task of locating Les. Turned out that part wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be, seeing Les was. As he locked eyes with the man he knew as a friend it became apparent very quickly Les had no idea who Tank was.

"Come sit stranger, we have plenty of food. Why didn't your friends come?"

Tank wasn't sure how to reply, "We didn't know if you were friend or foe."

"Ah so they were only willing to let one of you go. The others could rescue you if need be? Si." Dom observed verbally.

Tank noticed Les was in good shape physically, freshly showered from a day of work, and very relaxed. His only obvious problem was no memory. Tank finally replied, "Something like that."

"They need to join us. We have food, wine and women." A woman came to sit in Dom/Lester's lap. "My wife Camilla. Isn't she a beauty?"

Tank was stunned, "Yes she is very pretty. How long have you been married?"

"Six short, short months. She and I want to start a family soon."

Tank knew that was a really bad idea since Staci was still in Trenton and Les was still married to her. "You should enjoy each other for at least a year before starting a family. They are such a big commitment. My wife and I was waiting a year before trying. I'm glad we did. At ten months of us being together, she wanted a divorce. It was finalized a few months ago."

"Ah we won't have that problem. I don't believe in divorce. For me the commitment is for life."

Tank thought about Dom's comment and studied the man trying to determine if he was saying something between the lines or not. Eventually, he decided Dom wasn't.

"You should eat. We have our big meal in the middle of the day. I hope it was to your satisfaction."

Not responding to the comment, Tank partook of the sandwiches and drank of the wine that was offered.

After they ate Camilla departed from them to help with clean up. "So tell me stranger, why are you really here. Is it to kill me? I know I don't know you and I have not seen you around the village."

"No we are not here to kill you."

"Then why are you here?"

Luckily Tank had a coms unit in his ear allowing Ranger to hear and respond to the conversation. "We are here looking for a family member who has gone missing." Tank repeated after hearing Ranger in his ear.

Ranger spoke again in Tank's ear, "Bobby suggests using Lester's name but not to directly call him that."

"How long has this member been gone?"

"Les has been gone several long months. We miss having him around and his wife is missing him the most."

"What is she like?"

Tank knew this man before him had his interest peaked, "In our opinion, she is Lester's soulmate. They could finish each others sentences. He fell in love with her the day they met."

Dom had a flash of a woman before going on to speak, "I hope you find him."

"We have. We need to convince Les to go with us."

Another flash occurred in Dom's mind, "How do you plan to do that?"

"We aren't sure yet, but hopefully Lester will go with us because he wants to."

"Who are the other men?"

In Tank's ear he heard Ranger again, "Well, I'm Tank, his cousin, Ranger and Lester's best friend Bobby are with me."

Dom had a yet another flash in his mind of a black man laughing with him over a prank. "The name Ranger, where does that come from?"

"Ranger is Lester's cousin. He earned that nickname in the military. They grew up together."

Dom's mind flashed to two men standing by a car, they were young.

Tank could see something happening with Dom/Les. "Are you okay Mr. Rodriguez?"

"Yes I'm fine. Just a touch of a headache. According to Camilla, I got hit in the head before we got married a few months ago, since then I get these headaches. Its nothing."

Tank came up with a plan on the fly. "Maybe you had a concussion. Have you been checked out by your doctor? Bobby is our company medic, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a check up."

"I haven't been checked. It really isn't necessary, I feel fine really."

Tank could see Les was in there trying to get out given the answers he was getting from Dom. "Its no trouble. You have been very kind to us. Send one of your drivers up there to get them and we will take you up on the offer of food and wine."

"Very well. What about women?"

"Ranger is married, I am serious about a woman, so is Bobby. We remain faithful to our women."

"Ah such good men. José go retrieve the others on the hill."

Ranger spoke in Tank's ear, "You sure about this?"

"Very. Dom, how many men do you have here?"

"Forty. But they don't stay here. Only myself and Camilla at night. The former leader used to force men to remain in the buildings you see around here. I don't have to, I get better results by allowing them to go home to their families at night."

"Are you growing crops?"

"Yes, coffee and corn. When I took over I eliminated the drug crops and replaced them with corn and coffee."

A few minutes later, Ranger and Bobby were introduced to Dom. Dom stared at both Ranger and Bobby with flashes of memories going off in his mind. I know these men, Dom realized, but from where.?

Bobby could tell by Dom's responses he was having flashbacks. Going into medic mode and cover mode as well he began talking to Dom. "How about I check you out? Is there someplace quiet we can go?"

Dom pointed over to one of the empty buildings, "They used this as an infirmary. We can go there."

Bobby looked towards the building, "That should work perfectly."

Bobby and Ranger decided to follow Tank's lead on going the medical route to try to get Lester out of there, but they knew there would be problems. Camilla would not allow them to take him somewhere without her going. They didn't need her nor did they want her with them since they would be going straight to the truck and out of the country. There was also the unknown of whether the workers would give them any problems since it would seem Dom Rodriguez was well liked by all.

It was quickly noted that the intel Ranger had been furnished with was faulty. Dom/Les wasn't participating in the drug trade, but had the staff doing honest work.

As they entered the office building, Bobby looked around. There were cabinets stocked with medical supplies, well stocked in fact he surmised. Whoever had the office before would have been able to do minor surgeries and stitch up a wound or set a broken bone without the need of a hospital.

"Lets start with your eyes and go from there."

Dom agreed.

Some of Les' personality was there even though this was supposedly a different person. Bobby acknowledged Dom/Les' eyes were good. Next he checked his ears. By this time Bobby has expanded on Tank's plan on extracting Les.

After a complete examination of Dom's head, Bobby suggested checking on down the rest of his body. Mainly they were killing time until all the men of the village left for the day which they were slowly doing. The less people around the better when they went to take Les with them.

Bobby had already decided the best way to keep Camilla from wanting to travel with them would be to knock her out with the injection intended for Les.

"Mr. Rodriguez, I cannot find anything wrong to be causing your headaches. Once I determined there was nothing wrong with your head I moved down the rest of your spine." Bobby hated to lie to Les, cause the real man he knew had a few screws loose. "But there is nothing wrong in the spine either. Do you know if they were able to run any blood test here?"

"No they didn't have that type abilities."

"Would you be willing to go with us to another clinic so I can run some blood tests on you?"

"Do you think it is something serious?"

"I doubt it, but I want to be able to rule it out. The test shouldn't take over an hour to run but the blood has to be drawn and immediately combined with a serum to check it." Another big lie he hoped Dom did question him on.

"What kind of test?"

"I would be looking for malaria. Have you had any vomiting or fever? Maybe even joint pain."

"I haven't vomited nor have I had a fever. Just headaches and a little joint pain."

After deciding it was now or never, "Mr. Rodriguez, malaria is serious. It can lead to death if left untreated. You really need to be tested in a much better medical environment. Please go with us."

"What about your friend?"

"You are our priority at the moment. I would go against my medical oath if I didn't help you."

"What about my wife?"

"We need to keep you quarantined, but Tank will tell her. I'm sure she will understand having to wait here for you."

Tank understood what his assignment was, knock Camilla out with the shot. The shot was fast acting and the results would last three hours max. As Tank exited the building three men from the village approached.

"What are you doing to Master Rodriguez? He has been in there a long time."

"Mr. Rodriguez has fallen very ill. We need to get him to the nearest hospital."

"The nearest hospital is in Ocaña. We will travel with you."

"There is no need. Go home and tend to your families. One of the men with me is a doctor and Mr. Rodriguez is contagious." Upon hearing that the men backed away from Tank. "I must go talk to Camilla now."

The man who had done all the talking pointed towards the main house, "She is in there."

"Gracias." Tank left the men and carefully approached the house. Before entering he knocked on the door and waited for Camilla to answer.

She allowed him in the house, "Where is Dom?"

"He is in he infirmary. Dom is very sick. Did you know about his headaches?"

"He has had a few over the last few weeks. A few months ago he hit his head. They started after that. Is it a result of that?"

"We don't know. May we sit down?" She motioned for him to join her on the couch as they talked. "My friend, Bobby, checked him over but couldn't find any outward sign. But Dom also mentioned joint pain. Bobby wants to take him to the hospital to check him for malaria. Dom has some of the symptoms."

"Is it serious?"

"Yes, if he has it and its not treated, he could die."

"Why are we waiting? We need to go."

"Before we leave could I have a glass of water.?"

As Camilla moved to the kitchen, Tank took the syringe out of his boot. When she returned, she handed the glass to Tank.

Instead of taking the glass he took her arm and injected her with ketamine. During the action the glass of water spilled on Camilla's clothes. Acid began eating away at the fabric. Afterwards Tank didn't feel bad about drugging the woman.

He hurried back to the infirmary. Bobby and Ranger were waiting with Dom. They had given him a partial dose of the medicine to make him look extremely sick as they escorted him to a car they were going to leave in and later dump when they arrived at the truck.

"We need to go. Camilla is laying on the couch with acid eating her clothes. She gave that to me instead of water."

"Explain." Ranger barked.

"Later. Let's move. I doubt we have much time."

Dom was able to move under his own power for the most part, but he looked extremely sick. Nobody interfered when they heard he might have malaria. With Dom/Les in the car they were allowed to exit the compound without incident. They knew it wouldn't take long for them to find Camilla.

Arriving back at the truck, they quickly uncovered it. As they worked they could hear other trucks coming. A sure fired way of knowing they found Camilla. Tank knew she couldn't talk at the moment but he knew they would come after them regardless.

Behind the wheel of the over-sized truck Ranger guided it through the rough terrain towards the border. They entered a small clearing indicating they were crossing the border into Venezuela.

A security guard at the gate of the airport stopped Ranger when he approached. "This is a private airport."

Ranger pointed to the big black plane sitting off to the side of the hangars, "Yes and that is my plane." Ranger went on to produce paperwork showing the tail number and matching it to the tail number on the bird.

The guard stepped to the side after he matched the numbers, "Gracias."

Ranger drove through the gate and to the rear of the plane. While Tank went up to open the rear hatch, Dom began coming around. They had hoped he would be on the plane and airborne before waking.

"Where are we?"

"We are taking you for help," Bobby replied before sinking another needle in Dom/Les' arm. He looked at Ranger, "I hated to do that but we don't need him fighting us."

"Do what you have to for now. We will get him home and work on his mind then."

They were airborne in less than thirty minutes. In a few short hours they would land in Trenton. They hatched a plan for Hector to write a letter from the CDC telling Camilla that Dom had died and his body was being disposed of by them due to contamination.

When they arrived in Trenton, Hal met them at the airport. As they exited the plane Hal greeted them and Les. Ranger spoke to Hal when Les looked at him with a blank expression, "Les doesn't have any memory. I'm sorry Hal, he doesn't recognize you."

Dom/Les took in his surroundings trying to find a way of escape. He determined that being surrounded by these men, he couldn't without serious injury to himself. Hal drove them straight to Saint Francis Hospital. They waited in the emergency room while Bobby talked to the attending.

After a brief discussion with the attending physician, it was decided to take Les to the psychiatric ward for everybody's safety.

With Dom/Les resting in the hospital Ranger returned to Rangeman. Rather than going to his office or apartment he went to see Staci. He thought she deserved to know immediately that Les was alive and where he was currently.

Staci answered the door when Ranger knocked, "May I come in?"

She stepped aside to allow him in the living room. Ram was exiting the kitchen with a couple bottles of water. "I thought you were gone on an assignment?"

"Staci sit down." She did as Ranger asked. "Yes I was gone. I have something to tell you. This assignment was a difficult one. I had to go to Colombia to eliminate a man."

"Who was it?"

"A man named Dom Rodriguez. I couldn't do it. Instead I brought him home, he is in the hospital. Would you go with me to the hospital to see him?"

"Yes, I'll go. Give me a few minutes to get ready."


	28. Chapter 28

Not mine. Thanks for all the reviews. Only one more chapter after this. Thank you Rainbow for your help.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 28

Staci arrived at the hospital with Ranger shortly before dinner. He escorted her to the psychiatric ward. "Why are we in this ward?"

"The doctors felt this was the best place for him. Before you see this man please keep in mind there is something wrong with him."

Slowly Ranger opened the door, "Dom, are you awake?"

"Ah Mr. Ranger come in. I am feeling much better, but I don't understand why I'm here." Staci stepped in the room after Ranger, "Is this your wife?"

Tears streamed down Staci's face as she saw Les in the hospital bed. Her tears were a mix of joy and sadness as she realized what he had asked Ranger.

"No. She is your wife. Your name isn't Dom, it is Lester Santos. This is Staci Santos."

"My name is Dom Rodriguez. I would never have a wife like this puta. Bigger breast, more curves is what I like. Like my Camilla back home."

"I'm sorry Les, but Staci is your wife. You had been married fourteen months when you left on an assignment that would finish your career in the military. Five weeks in you were supposedly killed in a grenade blast. I'm guessing that is when you got amnesia."

Lester's heavier Spanish accent began showing through, "This is bullshit. You took me away from my home and brought me here. Now you are telling me this?! I just want to go back to Camilla and home."

"Ranger what or who is he talking about?" Staci asked timidly, her voice becoming more shaky.

"Dom was married to Camilla supposedly."

Staci decided to talk to Les, "Do you not remember me? We have been together over three years. We are each others soulmates."

"Lady, I don't know you nor do I want to know you. Please leave."

She showed him her wedding rings, "Do you remember proposing to me? Or anything at all?"

"Rings can be bought and sold anytime, anyplace. They don't mean anything. Please leave me. I don't want to look at you."

Staci's voice cracked with emotion, "Ranger I'll be in the waiting room."

After the door closed behind her, Ranger turned to Les, "Les, she was the best thing to ever happen to you."

Ranger could see Les was getting more agitated it was even more evident in his voice, "I don't know why you keep calling me Lester or Les. I'm not that man."

"Your name is Lester Mateo Santos. You were born July eighth nineteen eighty-nine. Your father's name is Lucian Mateo Santos the second, your mother was Maria Loraine Santos. She has passed. Your paternal grandfather is still alive, he is the first. You met Staci around December first two thousand fifteen. She was working at Biscuits and More. You two dated for over a year and were married on May the fourteenth of two thousand and seventeen. You both now work for Rangeman Security. She has a dog named Daisy that she had when you two started dating."

"I don't believe you."

"You and I grew up together in Miami. We were in a gang that we started along with Tank and Bobby. We were teens when we started that." Flashbacks of that time popped in Lester's head. "What are you remembering? Your expression says you remembered something."

"Two guys leaning against a black car. One looks like a young you. I don't know the other one."

"That was us. It was in two thousand and seven in Miami, I had found an older model Trans Am. We had our picture taken that day. Three weeks later, I was in court and told by the judge, jail or military. You and I enlisted together."

"Tank and Bobby joined a few days later, we were all in basic together. I remember."

"What else do you remember?"

"Nothing at the moment. I don't remember anything else associated with that memory."

"You will."

"Tell me something. Am I really married to what's her name … that woman that was just in here?"

"Yes you are. Les you are madly in love with her. Bobby always thought he was your best friend until Staci came along. Then it became all about Staci. When you first met her you drove us all up the wall talking about her. I could have killed you after listening to you. You had it bad for her, hopefully you will again. You tried to get her pregnant before you left on that mission according to a letter you left for me."

"I don't remember her."

"Give yourself time, you will. In the meantime keep her around you and learn about her again."

"What happens if I decide I don't like her?"

"Don't worry. You're going to love her all over again."

"Would you have her come back in the room? I should probably apologize to her."

"Sure I'll be right back."

While he waited Les tried to remember more about his life as a young man. Various clips flashed in his mind. He remembered being with another woman, but she was not Staci. This one was pregnant and due any day in this memory. Sherry. It wasn't his kid. He had been deployed for nine months when he returned home he remembered after a few moments.

A flash of another woman came to mind. This one was a curly haired brunette with blue eyes, he remembered calling her beautiful. She didn't like to get shot, she didn't know how to have fun.

Twenty minutes passed before Ranger returned with Staci. She reluctantly came in the room. It was obvious she had been crying. His words had hurt her badly.

"I'm sorry. I have no memory of my previous life. Over the last few hours I've had flashes of what I can only presume is memories. So far, you are not one of them. If you are willing to tell me about our life we supposedly had I'll listen and see if it stirs anything. Right now it is the only thing I can do."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "What do you want to know?"

He knew what Ranger had told him, and decided it was probably true, "Tell me about you and how we met."

"I began working at Biscuits n More in November of twenty fifteen. Late November you started coming in every morning through the drive-thru. On November thirtieth you asked me out. I agreed but only if I could meet you at the restaurant. I was ashamed of where I lived, I didn't want you to see it and feel sorry for me. The car I had at the time changed all of that when it burnt on the parking lot that night."

He chuckled even though he didn't remember. She continued on, "You had asked me to go to the Rangeman Christmas party and offered to buy me clothes to have to wear. I agreed to that. You tried to buy me a car. I drew the line there since I didn't know you yet."

She sighed before going to the next abbreviated phase of her story, "You helped me get a job as the receptionist at Rangeman. Had a desk set up for me in your office. Somehow you convinced Ranger to pay for me to go to college. Bought everything for me to have in school. Oh you also bought me an SUV for Christmas."

She smiled again at a memory, "I graduated from school in a year. At my graduation party the cake had on it will you marry me. I didn't hesitate, I said yes. You showed me what it was like to be loved and wanted. We married on May fourteenth twenty-seventeen."

The whole time she had been talking she had remained standing until now, "Then on July twentieth of twenty-eighteen you left for your mission. I tried to be so strong for you and not let it be any harder on you. I feared something would happen. Paranoia maybe from the fact I lost my parents when I was so young. You made all your check-ins for the first few weeks, then nothing. On Friday, August seventeenth we got word you were killed. That was the day my life ended. My world was gone. After wallowing for two solid weeks, I went to stay with your Papi and Grandpapi. They kept me there for five months. Eventually, I went to your home in New York. I couldn't go inside. After seeing it I understood when you said I would fall in love with the place."

Les knew her pain was genuine and she was telling the truth, he just didn't know what to do with it. "Thank you for telling me. Maybe later you can tell me the unabridged version of this."

The doctor came in the room. "Mr. Santos, how are you feeling?"

"I am having a few flashes. How long before I get all my memories back?"

"Hours, days, weeks maybe never. While we are learning more and more about the brain we still don't know all there is about that part of the body or how it heals. Don't pressure yourself to try to remember it all at one time. It doesn't always work that way."

"Would pictures and things like that help?" Ranger asked.

"They might, favorite food, clothing like the way he used to like his wife to dress or something as simple as watching his favorite movie. There is no one thing we can say. It is impossible to just say do this and everything will return to normal. Try anything and everything."

"How much longer am I going to have to stay here?"

"I'd like for you to be here a couple more days for tests and to see if you get your memory back. So lets plan on two to three more days. We are also waiting on some blood test that Bobby asked us to run. Normally we wouldn't run this particular series but your behavior led us to agree with him. I'll know more later today."

"Can you explain further?" Ranger asked.

"Normally amnesia doesn't last this long. Bobby thought maybe Lester had been given something perhaps in his food to prolong the effects."

After the doctor left, Les took Staci's hand to look at her wedding rings. "I have good taste. The rings are beautiful."

"They have never left my hand since you put them there."

"Staci, I really want to remember you. Do something for me, if you would please."

"Tell me."

"For dinner make my favorite dish and wear my favorite outfit."

"I can do that. I'll be a while, your favorite dish of mine is my lasagna. It is a little time consuming."

He smiled at her. Once she was gone he was glad she was out of the room. He couldn't say he loved her, she wasn't what he wanted in a woman. How he could have married her puzzled him.

As he sat there alone, flashes of his life entered his brain. He remembered missions he had been on with Ranger, Tank and Bobby. Flashes of his mom and dad appeared. He remembered his mom passing away after a car accident. His grandfather was another flash.

Three hours later Staci returned. He had a lot of memories come back but none of her. For the moment he was glad. The scent of the lasagna filled his senses making him drool. He wondered what it would taste like.

Staci sat in a chair near him, but not close enough to touch him. She knew he didn't like her.

Lester took a bite of the lasagna. It was delicious in his mind. At least she can cook he decided but it didn't stir any memories of her. He noticed she didn't eat. "Why are you not eating?"

Staci shook her head, "My stomach is too upset to keep anything down."

"Stress will cause it. But there is no need to be stressed."

"Yeah, there is. Les I know you well enough to know you don't like me, you would have just as soon had the hospital food. If you never get your memories back, it will be the same as when I lost you months ago. I will be mourning your loss again."

He stopped eating as he listened to what she was saying. She couldn't handle another loss especially him again. "Is that my favorite outfit on you?"

"No. I need to change into it." She moved to the door leading into the room. "Hal do not let anybody in this room under any circumstances unless I scream for help."

"Will do. I hope he remembers you."

"Les I'll be right back out," she told him as she entered the bathroom. Staci began removing her clothes. She decided if this didn't work, she would probably lose him for good.

Slowly she opened the door to the bathroom and stepped out. Les took in her appearance in the white teddy she had wore for him three other times. It was his favorite piece of lingerie she owned.

"You have wore that for me before."

"Yes, I have. It is your favorite thing and you only wanted me to wear it on special occasions. It has been worn on three separate occasions. Today makes four."

"Tell me when."

"The first time was Christmas Eve of twenty fifteen. I offered myself to you as a gift. You turned me down and wanted to wait until we were married. The second time was our wedding night."

"I remember seducing you. You were a virgin. The last time you wore it was on our first anniversary."

"Yes it was."

"Pea, it is the only thing I remember about you."

"What did you say?"

"It is the only thing I remember about you."

"You said something else. What was it?"

"Pea. I said Pea."

Staci smiled, "Well there is two things now."

He looked at her confused, "What do you mean two things?"

"Your nickname for me is Sweet Pea. Most of the time however you just call me Pea. Ask one of the guys. I'm going back to the restroom to get dressed."

"Not yet. Let me ask Hal." Lester opened the door to his room, "Hal what nickname did I call Staci?"

"Sweet Pea, most of the time you just call her Pea. You've done it from the time you met her before she even came to work for Rangeman. Is she okay?"

"She is fine. I remember her nickname," Les replied as a single tear ran down his cheek.

"She loves you with her whole heart. When we thought you were killed, her life ended. She was a shell of her former self. I'm happy for you. I've got the door if there is something else you want to do."

He hoped she forgot or forgave the harsh words he had said to her earlier. More memories of her were flooding his mind. "Pea, are you coming out?" When she opened the bathroom door he was waiting beside it. "Come here."

Les pulled her against his body, "Will you forgive me for the way I acted and spoke to you earlier?"

"Les there is nothing to forgive." Deep down she wondered if that was how he truly felt and it was allowed to manifest itself given his mental condition.

He lowered his head to kiss her tenderly. Her doubts were going to be erased or at least she hoped. "I remember everything. In your brief recount of our history you left out about your trailer being shot up and the dead body. You also didn't mention about what happened at the Rangeman's party with the guys." He kissed her.

"Another thing you didn't tell me was you graduated with a four point o." The more things he told her the more he remembered. Ranger was right, he loved Staci. "I'm home Pea and I'm never leaving you again. Get dressed we are going home. I want to make love to you for the rest of the night."

As Staci got dressed, the doctor reentered the room. "Mr. Santos how are you feeling?"

"I'm ready to go home, I remember everything. I have a wife and a life to get back to."

"I got the results back on your blood work. It would seem you had a high level of Xanax in your system. With amnesia, you shouldn't have been taking it. I've already spoke with Bobby. He said he didn't give it to you, so it came from another source. Do you have any ideas?"

"Camilla. She gave me drugs everyday, she said they were vitamins."

"We have all the test results back and it sounds like your memory is coming back. That is probably because the levels of Xanax is dropping. As it continues, your memories will probably flood back. I would expect you to have ninety to ninety-five percent by tomorrow. I'll get your discharge papers ready."

Hal was more than glad to be driving Les and Staci home.


	29. Chapter 29

Not mine. This is the end of this long story. I hope everybody has enjoyed it. Thank you for the support from each of you. Rainbow, thank you for your help with this little tale.

Love at the Drive-thru

Chapter 29/Epilogue

A few days after Les was discharged from the hospital, he and Staci traveled to the home in upstate New York. As he stood behind her, he wrapped his arms around her stomach and her neck. "I knew you would fall in love with this place," he softly whispered in her ear.

"I couldn't bring myself to go in the house when I came here a few months ago. It was just too hard to do."

"Well now you are going in it and you will love the interior of the place as much as the outside."

He led her up onto the porch of his favorite house. Before allowing her to enter, he swept her up in his arms to carry her over the threshold.

As she remained in his arms, she took in the place, "It is gorgeous. I can see us enjoying this place so much."

"I want to show you one room in particular," he whispered as he moved down the hallway to the master bedroom. "We need to christen this place."

Two weeks after Les was discharged from the hospital, Tank and Ranger disappeared for a few days. They made a return trip to Santiago to see Camilla. She freely admitted she and the other villagers had been paid to keep Les there after a blast had been near him.

A Colonel in the United States had been the one to pay her the handsome amount. Six figures worth of handsome. After seeing how sexy Les was, she was glad to do it. She went on to tell them, "This Colonel had orchestrated the whole thing. He hated Dom. When the Colonel learned Dom wasn't dead, he gave me prescription drugs to keep Dom's memory from coming back. The Colonel came up with a back story for me to tell Dom when he came to. I did everything the Colonel asked. Dom made such a difference in the lives of the people in my village."

She paused as she took a drink of her water before continuing on, "The Colonel made a difference as well. He gave the village the money needed to install a water filtration system we desperately needed, until then clean water had been an issue."

Tank asked her a very pointed question, "When we came to take Les home why did you give me the acid?"

"I knew you would try to take him from me. After a while I fell in love with him. He is a good man. Tell me, has his memories returned?"

Ranger answered that question, "Yes he and his wife are very relieved."

"What is her name?"

"We are not telling you that," Ranger responded.

"He called me Sweet Pea a lot."

Ranger and Tank looked at each other. Les was in there and had probably been fighting against the Dom persona the whole time.

On the way back to Trenton, the duo made a stop in Washington to visit with their former handler, who had since retired. It would seem Steele blamed Les for his being over looked for a promotion and wanted revenge. Steele had gone to great lengths to ensure Les didn't return from that mission.

For over a year he had watched Les and Staci when they were out, taking photographs of the couple and making notes about their activity. Later he used those photos to convince Les this cartel was watching them and the government had received these photos as proof. Planting the photos at the home in Colmar was to make it appear the cartel knew where some if not all of Lester's homes were. In addition to that it was close to his father and grandfather to make Les believe they could be targeted as well. He forgot to go back and remove the photos after Les left for his mission. It was a total ruse on the Colonel's part. He admitted there never was a cartel. It had all came from his mind.

The final step of Steele's plan was to travel to Colombia himself to take Les out. Deep down he wanted Les dead, but he failed at that task. On the fly he came up with the plan to keep Les away from Trenton. During his interrogation he admitted he was the one to throw the grenade at Les and gave Camilla the drugs to suppress Lester's memories. Steele decided to be happy to have killed Lester's mind.

After their conversation, Colonel William Steele took his own life.

According to his suicide note he couldn't handle civilian life and being alone. Included in the note was an apology to Lester and Staci. He confessed to stalking them. Steele told of how jealous he was of them. The date of when he started watching them. They learned from the note he had been in the background when Staci's car burnt on their first date. He had even thought about taking Les out that night and setting Staci up as the culprit.

Steele's hands tested positive for gun shot residue. As far as the police were concerned it was a closed case. Nobody would ever know the difference, Ranger and Tank would admit to nothing.

The information Ranger had received on Lester being Dom was indeed correct, but deep down, Les was still in there throughout all of it. Les managed to influence the Dom persona into raising corn and coffee, instead of drugs. It allowed the villagers crops for themselves as well as food to sell on the open market.

Sadly the Xanax he had been given was just strong enough that Les couldn't break through the fog his mind stayed in. Luckily, his brothers saved him, allowing him to return.

 **Epilogue**

Ten years had passed since then, Les and Staci's marriage was just as strong as they day they had said 'I do'. They had a son, Stephen Mateo Santos, nine months after Les returned followed a year later by another son, Wyatt Mateo Santos. Les had wanted to name him Pierre but Staci pointed out his initials would be PMS. Les changed his mind.

They talked about trying for another child but didn't when Staci developed some precancerous cells and had a hysterectomy. She had hoped for a little girl but was happy with her boys. Adopting had been talked about but they never acted on it.

Both boys looked like their dad and was just as ornery. Green eyes that somewhere down the road would either break girls hearts or lure them to bed, those outcomes were possible. Deep down Staci knew they would learn Lester's eyebrow waggle. Black hair that neither one wanted cut since they wanted to be like their uncle Ranger. Staci had her hands full.

Daisy had long since passed and another tri-colored mutt had been adopted from the animal shelter. She was named Tulip. Tulip joined the other fur balls on the property. In total they had four dogs and two cats.

Last year, Les and Staci moved to the property in New York officially retiring from Rangeman. Land parcels on either side of theirs had come up for sale. Les jumped on the chance to buy them. He later sold one acre of the land to Ranger and Steph. They built a four thousand square foot house for themselves and the twins girls Steph had after Wyatt was born.

Tank had finally decided to remarry. Denise Sullivan became Mrs. Pierre Sherman. They too planned on moving to the property with the others. They were breaking ground in two weeks.

Given their history, the men decided that the land needed to be a gated community. A guard shack was built, a nice brick and steel entrance was constructed and the property line had wrought iron fencing surrounding the thirty acres. In total they were going to allow six more men, Bobby, Cal, Hal, Manny, Hector and of course Ram to buy property in their community. After that no more.

The properties were plotted out with a mile long road running in a circle. The road being the distance it was would allow them to have a secure path to run or walk without leaving the compound. A swimming pool was going to be constructed to allow for another form of exercise. The pool house would also have a separate area for a gym.

On the first lot, Tank was going to be building. Beside him, was Hal's lot. Hal hadn't gotten married to anybody but he was looking. Hector chose the lot beside Hal. With Hector selecting that lot, it put him beside Ranger and Steph. Next came Lester's and Staci's house. Ram was on the other side of them. As you continued around the loop, Manny and Jenna was next. Bobby had selected the next lot but hadn't built any thing yet. Lastly was Cal.

While Staci was not as close to Cal, she had introduced him to her beautician, Cindy. They had been married for two years and were attempting to start a family.

Manny and Jenna had gotten married not long after Lester had came home. They hadn't planned on starting a family since neither one was into children. Both of them were thrilled that Les got his memory back.

Kellie, the woman who replaced Staci as the receptionist, had fallen hard for Ram. Neither one of them was really interested in getting married. Instead they had chosen to live together saying they didn't need a piece of paper to prove they loved each other. Rather than having children they decided on having a couple of horses. They elected to have their home in the back of the property to have a little more room for a couple paddocks.

The core team were friends for life and the others, they had proven themselves on more than one occasion they were as loyal as you could get. None of them were willing to let their friendships go. The land gave them that opportunity to remain close.

A/N I intentionally left the guys lives vague. It will allow me to write more stories should I decide without being locked in to an outline.


End file.
